Department of Health and Social Care

Public Health: Emergencies

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to identify public health emergencies.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Drugs: Death

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in drug-related deaths; and what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the potential role of drug policy reform in reducing the number of drug-related deaths.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Immigrants: Health Services

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how money raised from the immigration healthcare surcharge is spent.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Tuberculosis

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support areas at high risk of tuberculosis.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the Library, for each CCG merger application received (a) the assurances of the proposed new CCG's ability to engage with and consider the needs of local communities, (b) the level of support recorded and the prevailing views of each existing CCG’s member practices and local Healthwatch, and the existing CCGs’ observations on those views, and (c) the extent and timeframe of cost savings projected to result from the merger, and how funds resulting from those cost savings are planned to be re-invested.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many CCG merger applications his Department has received and to which CCGs those applications relate.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Incontinence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that doctors, nurses and other health-workers receive adequate training in continence issues as part of their pre-qualification training and continuing professional development.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle delays in the supply of HRT medications.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people waited more than 18 weeks from referral to treatment for (a) hip replacements and (b) knee replacements by each NHS Hospital Trust from April 2018 to March 2019.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people waited for more than 52 weeks from referral to treatment for (a) hip replacements and (b) knee replacements by NHS Hospital Trust from April 2018 to March 2019.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people waiting for joint replacement surgery exercised their right to an alternative provider by NHS Hospital Trust from April 2018 to March 2019.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Degaralix

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the continued supply of Degaralix for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for cervical screening results was in each region; and what assessment he has made of trends in the length of waiting times as a result of HPV screening in each of the last three years.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many notifications the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency received from pharmacies and specials importers on importation orders for unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in the past 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has assessed the (a) safety and (b) quality of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are circumstances under which Specialist Importers of cannabis-based products for medicinal use are permitted to import that product in bulk.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are circumstances under which Specialist Importers may import cannabis-based active pharmaceutical ingredients for use in manufacturing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in the UK.

Ms Nadine Dorries: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Human Papillomavirus: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on the introduction of HPV primary screening in Northern Ireland.

Jo Churchill: I refer the hon.Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2019 to Questions 2728 and 2729.

Human Papillomavirus: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of HPV primary screening in Northern Ireland.

Jo Churchill: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2019 to Questions  2728 and 2729.

Blood Cancer: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve and (b) expedite the appraisal process for blood cancer patients to receive appropriate treatments.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Blood Cancer: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a strategy for the treatment of blood cancer.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Blood Cancer: Mental Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of personalised psychological support for people with blood cancer.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Shingles: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on the introduction of a call and re-call system for the uptake of vaccinations for shingles.

Jo Churchill: Immunisations play a critical role in preventative healthcare and in promoting health and well-being across the life course, particularly in older adults when protection against shingles is so important.The NHS Long Term Plan announced a review of general practitioner (GP) vaccination and immunisation standards, funding and procurement, which commenced in April 2019. One of the purposes of the review is to clarify what is expected of call/recall for all immunisations provided as part of the national programme, which includes shingles. Recommendations from the Review will be implemented through the GP contract where appropriate, following current negotiations.

Vaccination: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Devolved Administrations to ensure a standard fee structure for the provision of vaccinations by GPs.

Jo Churchill: Health is a devolved matter. The Department is responsible for the contractual arrangements, including vaccination fees, that cover general practitioners (GPs) in England only. These are negotiated between NHS England and the General Practitioner Committee of the British Medical Association. The administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland negotiate similar arrangements with GPs in their respective nations independently.

Bowel Cancer: Health Education

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase public awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England (PHE) has run a number of Be Clear on Cancer (BCOC) campaigns to help improve early detection of cancer, including bowel cancer.In 2017, PHE ran a pilot campaign in the East and West Midlands which focussed on a range of abdominal symptoms, such as diarrhoea, bloating and discomfort that can be indicative of several cancers, including bowel cancer.In January 2017, PHE and Cancer Research UK ran a regional BCOC campaign across the North West of England, aimed at increasing participation of 60 – 74-year olds in the English National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.Decisions on which cancers Be Clear on Cancer campaigns should focus on are informed by a steering group. This decision is under constant review, informed by the available data and medical information resources.

Women's Centres: Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding NHS England has given to Women's Centres dealing with female offenders in each of the last three years.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Health-based elements to the services provided by women’s centres may be provided through local arrangements made and funded by clinical commissioning groups but this information is not available centrally.

Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the waiting times were for (a) hip replacement and (b) knee replacement surgery in 2018-19 by NHS Foundation Trust.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Influenza: Vaccination

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to contact (a) Sanofi and (b) other suppliers of flu vaccine to ensure that they supply contracted-for amounts to NHS organisations; and what monitoring his Department is undertaking to ensure supplies are being delivered.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Medicine: Education

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to bring forward the point of full registration of doctors with the GMC to graduation from medical school.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Endometriosis: Health Education

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase public awareness of the symptoms of endometriosis.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is continuing to urge clinicians to play their part in breaking down the ongoing stigma around endometriosis by ensuring they follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and is encouraging employers to rise to the challenge by creating supportive and flexible ways to help those living with these conditions.

Obesity

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to reduce rates of obesity.

Jo Churchill: We published the third chapter of the childhood obesity plan in July as part of ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’. Chapter 3 sets out further measures to help meet our ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030. This builds on the important successes we have seen since the publication of chapter 1 in 2016, including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft drinks industry levy decreasing by 28.8% between 2015 and 2018 and significant investments being made in schools to promote physical activity and healthy eating.

Diabetes: Health Services

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money was spent from the public purse on the (a) treatment and (b) care of people with diabetes in each year since 2014.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of Breast Cancer Now in its report entitled The Unsurvivors, published in October 2019, that (a) one in six respondents diagnosed with secondary breast cancer said they didn’t feel confident they would have access to the most appropriate drug treatments in the future and (b) 25 per cent of respondents said they had not seen a clinical nurse specialist.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Health: Screening

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement on the Publication of Professor Sir Mike Richards’ Review of National Adult Screening Programmes, Official Report, HCWS11, when sole responsibility for the delivery of adult screening programmes will be transferred to NHS England.

Jo Churchill: We are currently reviewing the recommendations made in Professor Sir Mike Richards’ report and are working closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and other partners across the health system to develop an implementation plan, which we expect to publish early next year. This will ensure that any proposed changes can be implemented smoothly and without compromising the safety and efficacy of our current screening programmes.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 27 June 2019 to Questions 266861 and 266862, how many prescriptions for full-extract medical cannabis have been fulfilled by the NHS since November 2018.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ambulance Services: Costs

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the NHS of an emergency ambulance call out in (a) 2018, (b) 2017, (c) 2016 and (d) 2015.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Thalidomide

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 286835 on Thalidomide, what his timetable is for considering evidence from the Thalidomide Trust on the continuation of the health grant for thalidomide survivors; and what plans he has for discussions with that Trust on the continuation of that grant.

Caroline Dinenage: Officials are in ongoing discussion with the Thalidomide Trust and hold regular meetings. Further discussions with the Thalidomide Trust are due to take place later this year and we expect to discuss how those suffering from the effects of thalidomide can be best supported in future and consider arrangements after 2022 when the present 10-year grant is due to end.

Orkambi and Symkevi

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to ensure that clinicians will be able to begin prescribing Orkambi and Symkevi within 30 days of his 24 October 2019 announcement.

Jo Churchill: Clinicians will be able to begin prescribing these drugs within 30 days of the agreement announced on 24 October 2019. NHS England and NHS Improvement estimate that around 5,000 patients will benefit from these treatments. NHS England and NHS Improvement have briefed clinical leaders within the cystic fibrosis community so they are making preparations for this and supply arrangements have been agreed with Vertex. NHS England and NHS Improvement have agreed processes for communicating new policies to hospital trusts and these are also being used in this case.

Royal Liverpool Hospital

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2019 Question 4280, whether he has asked the NAO to investigate the circumstances surrounding the demolition of recent construction at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Illness

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 181292, on Mental Health Services: Children, how many people aged 18 and under were admitted to A&E for (a) deliberate self-harm and (b) psychiatric conditions in England in each of the last five years.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 31 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Blood: Contamination

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many haemophiliac registrant victims of the contaminated blood scandal were paid the full £20,000 from the £10 million that the Government allocated in 1989 to the Haemophilia Society.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Haemophilia Society is a national charity founded in 1950 to provide support and services to the haemophilia community. The Department gave an ex gratia grant of £10 million to the Haemophilia Society in 1987 to enable them to establish a special trust fund so that payments could be made to meet the needs of the individuals with haemophilia affected and infected with HIV/AIDS because of receiving contaminated blood and blood products. This trust fund was called the Macfarlane Trust and it began administering the scheme in 1988. The Macfarlane Trust was wound up in November 2017 and the English Infected Blood Support Scheme took over this scheme from November 2017 along with all other schemes supporting those affected and infected by contaminated blood and blood products. The Department does not hold data in respect of numbers of people receiving an ex gratia payment.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on (a) the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to ensure that 100 per cent of children and young people who need specialist mental health care can access it and (b) ensuring that 100 per cent of children aged 2 and under can access that care.

Ms Nadine Dorries: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Health: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to fulfill its commitment in its Prevention Green Paper to seek views on how to improve the healthy social and emotional development of babies and young children.

Jo Churchill: The Government is taking steps to fulfil its commitment in its Prevention Green Paper to seek views on how to improve the healthy social and emotional development of babies and young children.Public Health England’s (PHE’s) vision is to improve the health of babies, children and their families and to enable the foundations of good health into adulthood. A large proportion of this work will be done through the modernisation of the Healthy Child Programme, which is PHE’s national offer to our children and families. This can be viewed at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-pregnancy-and-the-first-5-years-of-lifehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-5-to-19-years-old

Health: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he is putting in place to support and monitor the delivery of the revised Healthy Child programme.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to widen the NHS England criteria under which diabetes patients can receive the Freestyle Libre glucose monitoring device on prescription to include type 2 diabetics.

Jo Churchill: Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning diabetes services for their local populations. They are also expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines into consideration when making their decisions. NICE currently recommends not routinely offering self-monitoring of blood glucose levels for adults with type 2 diabetes unless the person: - is on insulin;- or there is evidence of hypoglycaemic episodes;- or the person is on medication that may increase their risk of hypoglycaemia while driving or operating machinery;- or the person is pregnant or is planning to become pregnant. The evidence base for the benefits and cost-effectiveness of flash glucose monitoring for people with type 2 diabetes is still developing, and NICE will continue to monitor the evidence and relevant research.

Out-patients: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of hospital appointments that were missed in Romford constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

General Practitioners: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for a GP appointment in Romford constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Jo Churchill: Data on appointments in general practice have only been available since November 2017. The most recent data on the time between booking an appointment with a general practice and having the appointment (in days) for Havering Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and England are presented in the table below as the average over the 12 months from September 2018 to August 2019.The data is taken from the NHS Digital publication ‘Appointments in General Practice’. This is a new experimental data collection which is still being refined and improved. NHS Digital is unable to provide general practitioner (GP) appointments data at parliamentary constituency level. Romford constituency does not align perfectly to a CCG; it has therefore provided data for Havering CCG, which includes the town of Romford.It should be noted that the ‘time from booking to appointment’ refers only to the time elapsed between the successful booking of an appointment and the appointment taking place. The data does not take into consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions. -Havering CCGEngland-Distribution of average time elapsed between booking an appointment and the appointment taking place, September 2018 to August 2019. (Numbers may not add to 100% due to rounding.)Same Day35%42%1 Day7%7%2 to 7 Days21%20%8 to 14 Days18%14%15 to 21 Days9%8%22 to 28 Days5%5%More than 28 Days5%5%Total100.0%100.0%Source: NHS Digital, Appointments in General PracticeNotes:There are several factors that drive the time from a booking to an appointment. This includes appointment availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.The data does not differentiate between emergency and routine appointments in general practice.The data does not include any information about the patients or clinical informationThe data in the response includes appointments with all healthcare professional types, including GPs and other practice staff.Not all practices in England are included in the appointments in general practice publication, meaning the total number of appointments is not known.Same day and next day bookings are presented here separately. Further bookings are presented grouped by weeks.The number of appointments that have already happened is provided as recorded in participating practices in England. The data presented only contains information which was captured on the GP practice systems. This limits the activity reported on and does not represent all work happening within a primary care setting.

Dementia: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to Romford constituency in support of dementia services over the next five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not held centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Illness

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions to accident and emergency departments of people aged under 18-years old with mental health conditions there have been in each year since 2009-10.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Information on unplanned accident and emergency (A&E) attendances1 for patients aged between 0-17 years in England, where the first recorded diagnosis code2 was ‘psychiatric condition’ is shown in the following table.YearNumber of patients2009-106,1612010-116,9192011-128,8682012-1310,7282013-1413,8822014-1514,8012015-1617,4482016-1718,3502017-1821,7152018-1926,593Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS DigitalNotes: 1 Attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may attend a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion within the period.2 The recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. Changes to the figures over time should be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

Mental Health Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS mental health patients received follow-up treatment within 48 hours after being discharged as an inpatient from a mental health facility in the last 12 months.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Blood: Contamination

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to equalise all payments to those (a) infected and (b) affected by the contaminated blood scandal regardless of route of infection.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government remains committed to addressing disparity in the support offered to those infected and affected by the infected blood disaster, across the United Kingdom.The Department is working with relevant Government departments to resolve the immediate and pressing disparity between the English support scheme and those in Northern Ireland and Wales. The Government intends to launch a consultation between the four nations of the UK to achieve comprehensive parity for all those infected and affected and to consider the broader issues of support.In addition to considering any recommendations made by the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Department of Health and Social Care: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Caroline Dinenage: There are currently no plans to mark International Men’s Day in the Department.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  how many local authorities do not have a PrEP impact trial site.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support local authorities that do not have a PrEP impact trial prepare for routine commissioning.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Neurology

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to establish a national plan in England for neurological health and care services.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Public Accounts Committee's 24th report of Session 2015-16, Services to people with neurological conditions: progress review, HC 502, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding that services for people with neurological conditions are not consistently good enough and there remains wide variation across England in access, outcome and patient experience.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) progress he is making to reverse the trend of increasing mortality rates for people with neurological conditions.

Caroline Dinenage: As recently seen in a report from Public Health England in 2018, there has been an increase in deaths associated with neurological conditions in England. As the report highlights, two major factors are likely to be contributing to this: the success of the National Health Service in improving survival rates from other conditions such as heart disease and cancer; and better diagnosis and recognition of neurological conditions. This important data is supporting commissioners and services planners to better understand the burden of disease, and the services that are needed to our changing population. With more people living longer with neurological conditions, improving the care and support available is an important issue for the NHS. NHS England and NHS Improvement is the organisation responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with neurological conditions, commissioning specialised neurological services nationally and supporting local commissioners with guidance and intelligence to deliver high quality neurological conditions for their resident populations.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that sufficient places are available in each clinic for the duration of the PreP trial.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Neurology

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will end the practice of placing people with neurological conditions (a) in generic nursing homes that do not meet their needs and (b) in non-neighbouring local authorities away from their support networks.

Caroline Dinenage: The commissioning of social care services is a matter for local authorities who are best placed to the understand the needs of local people and communities, and how to meet them.The Care Act 2014 placed a new duty on councils to offer a meaningful choice of services, so that people have a range of high quality, appropriate care options to choose from and that they get the services that best meet their needs.The Care Act guidance is clear that local authorities should ensure that where they arrange services, the assessed needs of a person with eligible care and support needs is translated into effective, appropriate commissioned services that are adequately resourced and meet the wellbeing principle of the Act. This includes people with neurological conditions.

Neurology

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will direct local authorities to start routinely recording whether someone they are providing services for has a neurological condition in order to (a) capture their experiences and outcomes and (b)  identify whether their needs are being met.

Caroline Dinenage: There are no current plans to collect this information within social care data returns from local authorities. However, local authorities can currently record this for their own internal use when providing services for individuals, in order to capture experiences and outcomes and identify whether their needs are being met.

Neurology

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide (a) clear commissioning guidance for CCGs so that they are able to commission effectively for people with neurological conditions and (b) clarity on organisational responsibility for service provision to ensure that people with neurological conditions do not miss out on the care they need.

Jo Churchill: The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement expect clinical commissioning groups to consider National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and standards when commissioning services for people with neurological conditions. NHS England and NHS Improvement support local transformation through their national programmes. The NHS RightCare Programme has published several resources for local commissioners. Alongside this, Getting it Right First Time, a clinically led programme which includes neurology, is also working to improve optimal pathways of care to reduce unwarranted variation and improve quality of patient outcomes.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equity of access to IVF treatment across (a) clinical commissioning group areas and (b) post codes.

Caroline Dinenage: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure Parkinson's disease patients receive medication on time while in hospital.

Caroline Dinenage: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 September 2019, Official Report, HCWS11, when Professor Sir Mike Richards plans to publish his follow-up report on diagnostic capacity.

Jo Churchill: As outlined in the published Terms of Reference for Professor Sir Mike Richards’ review of national adult screening programmes, the follow-up report on diagnostic capacity will be published by the end of the year. A copy of the related Terms of Reference can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/review-of-national-cancer-screening-programmes-tor-20191016.pdf

Breast Cancer: Screening

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Written Statement of 16 September 2019, Official Report, HCWS11, what the timeframe is for NHSX to complete its delivery of new IT systems to support the breast screening programme.

Jo Churchill: NHSX, Public Health England, NHS Digital, NHS England and NHS Improvement have established a programme to modernise the IT systems on which the national screening programmes are delivered. The programme is applying the Government Digital Service’s ‘agile’ approach and has recently commenced a prototyping ('alpha') phase focussed on the “call and recall” of screening participants. The alpha will end in January 2020, at which point it will be clearer what is required and the likely timescales.

Gender Recognition: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date it is planned that the process for the procurements of the new NHS Gender Identity Services for Adults will be completed.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Gender Recognition: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the procurement of the new NHS England Gender Identity Services for Adults will build sufficient capacity to ensure that the NHS 18 week first referral to treatment target will be met.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Gender Recognition: Prescriptions

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to clinical commissioning groups was of prescribing products related to gender identity for transgender and non-binary patients in each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Gender Recognition: Prescriptions

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will instruct Clinical Commissioning Groups to fund the cost of prescribing products related to gender identity for transgender and non-binary patients to ensure compliance with the Equalities Act 2010 throughout the health service.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Gender Recognition: Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions he has put in place for those who define as non-binary in the new NHS Gender Identity Services specification.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Gender Recognition

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Gender Identity Services patients identified as (a) binary and (b) non-binary in each of the last five years.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with Parkinson’s receive their medication on time.

Caroline Dinenage: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Orkambi

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health on UK-wide access to Orkambi.

Jo Churchill: Wales and Northern Ireland have stood alongside NHS England throughout these extended discussions. We have therefore inserted into the legal agreement that NHS England has negotiated, a requirement that the company must make equivalent terms available to the National Health Service in Wales and Northern Ireland, should those jurisdictions wish to benefit from them.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure medicinal cannabis is accessible via GPs.

Jo Churchill: The law was changed on 1 November 2018 to allow clinicians on the General Medical Council’s ‘Specialist Register’ to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use, where clinically appropriate and in the best interest of patients. The Government has been clear that decisions on whether to prescribe these products must remain a clinical one. In developing this policy and in-line with the advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, restrictions have been put in place to maintain patient safety, minimise risk of diversion. Provisions around safety and quality assurances that would be expected of any unlicensed medicine in the United Kingdom have also been implemented. The regulations restrict the decision to prescribe these products to specialist doctors on the General Medical Council’s Specialist Register. General practitioners are not able to prescribe these products independently. Patients will need to be referred to a specialist doctor, on the basis of clinical need, in order to be prescribed such products. It should also be noted that for those conditions where there is a clinical need for cannabis-based products, it is likely the patient would already be under the care of a specialist doctor.

Bereavement Counselling: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase funding for bereavement counselling services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Bereavement services are provided locally by local authorities and health and social care services working together along with the voluntary and charitable sector. We are working with NHS England to reduce variation and to improve the quality and provision available across the country. On 28 October 2019, we announced that, under the NHS Long Term Plan, we are investing over £1 million this year to roll out dedicated bereavement support in 10 areas to care for people in the aftermath of a family or friend’s suicide. This support will be made available across the country by 2023/24. Anyone affected by a family member or friend taking their own life will have access to dedicated practical and emotional support in the days and months following their death. Support may vary in each of these areas but will range from one-to-one sessions with trained volunteers or counsellors, group support or signposting to specialist mental health services.

Department of Health and Social Care: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government Digital Service leads the Government’s digital, data and technology function. Responsibility for digitisation within the Department is discharged by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NHSX. NHSX is a joint unit between the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement, and launched on 1 July this year. The CEO has system-wide responsibility for digital and technology policy in health and social care, and is both a Director General in the Department and National Director for Digital in NHS England. The organisation combines the levers of policy and implementation, including setting of national strategy, delivery of programmes, development of best practice, and setting of standards. Departmental officials within NHSX are also responsible for overseeing NHS Digital. The current CEO is Matthew Gould.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for trauma and orthopaedic surgery in each NHS Foundation Trust in each month of 2018-19.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for trauma and orthopaedic surgery in the 12 NHS Trusts participating in the field test programme as part of the interim review of clinically-led access standards.

Edward Argar: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of women affected by shortages of Hormone Replacement Therapy; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Gender Recognition

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the nationwide HRT shortage on the transgender community; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

General Practitioners: Postnatal Care

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits of a postnatal physical and mental health check for new mothers conducted by GPs.

Jo Churchill: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

General Practitioners: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce GP waiting times in Southampton.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, made a clear commitment to the future of general practice, with primary and community care set to receive at least £4.5 billion more a year by 2023/24, in real terms.Evening and weekend general practice appointments are routinely available across the country to enable patients to find appointments at a time convenient to them, with millions of patients having already benefitted from this.NHS Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has a GP Hubs service in the city, which means appointments are available in evenings, weekends and bank holidays. During 2018 the CCG also carried out a procurement process and confirmed that Southampton Primary Care Limited is now providing the new Extended and Urgent Primary Care Services contract. This began in June 2019 and patients can book appointments directly through NHS 111 out of hours and by contacting their own GP practice during normal opening hours, as has been the case previously. The CCG also found that not enough people were aware of the GP Hubs services, following feedback from patient groups in the summer of 2018. Therefore, promoting the GP Hubs has formed a central part of the CCG’s marketing plan and continues to be through the winter of 2019/20.

General practitioners: Working Hours

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of GP surgeries that offer evening and weekend appointments.

Jo Churchill: Evening and weekend general practice appointments are routinely available across the country now to enable patients to find appointments at a time convenient to them, with millions of patients having already benefitted from this. NHS England has confirmed that patients at all general practitioner (GP) surgeries are able to get routine weekend or evening appointments at either their own GP surgery or one nearby. NHS England, working with stakeholders, is undertaking a national review of access to general practice services. The review’s main objective is to improve patient access both in hours and at evenings and weekends and reduce unwarranted variation in experience.

Dementia: Loneliness

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle loneliness among people with dementia.

Caroline Dinenage: The first cross-Government Loneliness Strategy was published on 15 October 2018.The Department’s commitments in the Strategy include measures which will reach dementia patients through services they already use. For example, by 2023, the Government will support all local health and care systems to implement social prescribing connector schemes across the whole country. The Chief Social Worker for Adults is also working to improve knowledge sharing among social workers so they can better help people at risk of chronic loneliness.In 2018 the Government also launched the £11.5 million Building Connections Fund in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund and the Co-op Foundation which has funded 126 projects, including some of which support people with dementia.The Department is also delivering the Challenge on Dementia 2020 to make England the best country in the world for dementia, and has launched the Dementia Friendly Communities programme to make society more inclusive for people with dementia.

Carers: Young People

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the mental health needs of young people who have additional responsibilities as carers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government continues to value, recognise and support carers to provide care in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. It remains committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and supported to achieve their full potential. That is why the Government published a Carers Action Plan last year setting out across-Government programme of targeted work to support carers, including young carers. In addition, children and young people, including young carers, will benefit from improved provision of mental health services resulting from the NHS Long Term Plan and the Government’s Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health. The Green Paper aims to improve the provision of mental health support through its three key proposals:- incentivising every school or college to identify and train a Senior Lead for Mental Health;- creating new Mental Health Support Teams in and near schools and colleges; and- piloting a four-week waiting time for specialist National Health Service services, so that there is swifter access to specialist NHS services for those children and young people who need it. These three proposals are currently being trialled in new trailblazer areas. The above-mentioned Mental Health Support Teams form part of the NHS’s commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that by 2023/24, at least an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25, including young carers, will be able to access support via NHS-funded mental health services and school– or college-based mental health support teams.

Hospital Beds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of NHS overnight beds available in England from 1 April to 30 June in (a) 2010 and (b) 2019.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Diabetes: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that people living in the St Helens borough with diabetes continue to receive the medication they need in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group: Health Visitors

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent health visitors were employed by Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group in each year since 2015.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group: Nurses

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent mental health nurses were employed by Hounslow Clinical Commissioning Group in each year since 2015.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that early intervention mental health support is available to children and young people in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) nationally; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Following on from our Green Paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper’, we are incentivising every school or college to identify and train a Senior Lead for Mental Health and are creating new mental health support teams in and near schools and colleges. The mental health support teams are designed to provide low-level and early mental health interventions, to prevent more severe cases from developing and create a broader wellbeing culture in schools. We are aiming to cover 20-25% of the country with mental health support teams by 2023/24. We expect the first wave of trailblazer mental health support teams to be fully operational by the end of this year. The wider roll-out will be informed by the evaluation of the initial trailblazers. Brighton and Hove is one of the first wave of trailblazer areas. Mental health across all ages will receive a growing share of the National Health Service budget, worth a further £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24.

Postnatal Care: Mental Health

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide every new mother with a six-week health check that includes a conversation on mental health; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: As the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends, a review at 6-8 weeks by healthcare professionals presents an opportunity to assess new parents’ physical, emotional and social wellbeing.NHS England and NHS Improvement have been reviewing the available evidence to establish a clearer picture of current practice in this area. NHS England has been working with the National Childbirth Trust on developing the evidence base, and we are following this important work closely.

Genito-urinary medicine

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national sexual health strategy will address inequalities in sexual health.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the national sexual health strategy, announced in the Government's response to the Health and Social Care Committee's report on Sexual Health, CP186.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the roundtable meetings on the national sexual health strategy will take place; and who will be invited to attend those meetings.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) public sector organisations and (b) community groups will be involved in drafting the national sexual health strategy.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps will be taken to strengthen the co-commissioning of sexual health services in order to deliver the sexual health strategy.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate additional funding for sexual health services to ensure that the sexual health strategy is delivered.

Jo Churchill: As set out in the Government Response to the Health and Social Care Committee report on Sexual Health, our priority for the updated sexual and reproductive health strategy is to work with all partners to achieve our ambition that sexual and reproductive health services are more holistic, and that system mechanisms support co-commissioning and joined up patient pathways. The strategy is in the early stages of development. Details of its scope, engagement with external organisations, timing of publication and implementation will be announced in due course.

European Medicines Agency: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of the relationship between the  Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU; and what assessment he has made of the effect on people with (a) cancer (b) other conditions of changes to that relationship.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Our goal is to continue working closely with our European Union colleagues, as we do at present, to make sure patients have access to safe and effective medicines. As set out in the United Kingdom-EU Political Declaration, our priority is to seek a new relationship with the EU that includes close regulatory co-operation for medicines and medical devices. We have always been clear that we wish to explore with the EU the UK’s on-going participation with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and wider regulatory network, as a part of the future relationship negotiations.Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, we will set up a regulatory system that protects the best interests of patients and supports the UK life science industry to go from strength to strength. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, with over 30 years’ experience licensing and monitoring the safety of new medicines, already licences the vast majority of medicines on the UK market.The Government will ensure that patients are not disadvantaged by the future regulatory regime in order that UK patients are able to access the best and most innovative medicines and their safety is protected. The UK life sciences industry has much to offer in creating, developing, trialling and commercialising medicines that will benefit UK patients and strengthen the ability of the UK to compete internationally.The Government has taken pragmatic steps to ensure that patients continue to access innovative treatments in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The Government’s stockpiling regime will minimise any supply disruption in the weeks after leaving without a deal. The Government has set out alternative licensing routes to incentivise companies to continue to apply for licences with a view to approval of a licence at the same time as the EU. This will ensure that patients, including those with the most critical conditions, are not put at a disadvantage with regard to accessing innovative treatment. Further to this, all centrally authorised products that are already approved by the EMA will be converted into UK-only licences after exit unless the licence holder chooses to opt out, ensuring continued supply of innovative treatment onto the UK market.

Health Services

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the (a) publication of and (b) timeframe for the implementation of the NHS People Plan.

Edward Argar: The NHS People Plan will set out a clear framework for collective action on workforce priorities and put the National Health Service workforce at the heart of delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. The NHS intends to publish the full NHS People Plan in the next few months.

Older People

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing the post of a commissioner for older people.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise that it is important that the fundamental rights of people continue to be respected throughout their lives and that the specific needs of older people are recognised and respected. We have previously considered the merits of introducing an older person’s commissioner. However, we believe that the duties that would be covered by such a role are covered by work elsewhere in the system. Establishing an older person’s commissioners would also have significant costs associated with it. Net expenditure in the first year that Northern Ireland’s Older People’s Commissioner was set up was around £101,674 in 2011-12 and has since increased to £876,272 in 2017-18. Recent estimates indicate that there are around 33% more over 65s in England than in Northern Ireland, suggesting such a body would create significant annual costs. The Government is committed to making this country one of the best places to grow old in.Across the health and social care system in England there are already systems in place, that are able to listen to the voices of older people and respond to their concerns.

NHS: Complaints

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS organisation is responsible for ensuring NHS complaints are handled effectively; and what the process is for handling complaints where multiple NHS organisations are involved.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Under the National Health Service complaints procedure, complaints can be made either to the provider or the commissioner of the service in question. It is for the NHS body receiving the complaint to ensure the complaint is handled effectively at a local level. Where a complaint relates to primary care services, NHS England and NHS Improvement (as the service commissioner) may have a role to support complaints handling.If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome or handling of a complaint at local level, they can refer their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.Where a complaint concerns multiple bodies, NHS organisations, local authorities, primary care providers or independent sector providers have a duty to cooperate, as ‘responsible bodies’, to ensure there is agreement on how the complaint should be taken forward.

Department of Health and Social Care: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Caroline Dinenage: As part of our commitment to achieving a workforce representative of the society we serve and providing equality of opportunity, we monitor representation of all protected characteristics across the Department.In December 2018, two members of staff received honours and a further two members of staff received honours in June 2019. Where numbers of staff in a group are under five, we cannot disclose personally identifiable information, such as ethnicity.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Jack Brereton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of reversing the roll-out of universal credit and returning to the previous system.

Will Quince: Universal Credit (UC) is a £2bn infrastructure project. This will deliver £8bn worth of economic growth. A whole new benefit system is likely to require a similar level of investment as UC.

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payment (a) lapsed and (b) were withdrawn due to the death of the applicant in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Justin Tomlinson: It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for universal credit (a) lapsed and (b) were withdrawn due to the death of the applicant in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Justin Tomlinson: It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for employment and support allowance (a) lapsed and (b) were withdrawn due to the death of the applicant in the most recent 12 months for which data are available.

Justin Tomlinson: The dataset used to provide Employment and Support Allowance statistics does not contain the relevant information needed to measure this. To provide a reply would require us to link together several additional complex datasets and quality assure the results. Although theoretically possible, it is estimated that this would take in excess of 4 working days and would therefore incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the length of the benefits freeze.

Will Quince: The Secretary of State announced on 4th November 2019 that the freeze to working age benefits will come to an end in April 2020. This was following her statutory annual review of benefit and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value to the general level of prices and earnings. See written ministerial statement -https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-11-04/HCWS74/

Affordable Housing: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the affordability of the housing market in Scotland for families in receipt of benefits.

Will Quince: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Secretary of State is required to make an annual assessment of LHA rates, which will be completed by the end of 2019.The proportion of Scottish private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate, by room entitlement, is set out below. This is based on rent officer data and the 2019/20 LHA rates published here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020. Shared room1 bedroom2 bedroom3 bedroom4+ bedroom14%22%17%18%17%

Will Quince: The Secretary of State is required to make an annual assessment of LHA rates, which will be completed by the end of 2019.The proportion of Scottish private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate, by room entitlement, is set out below. This is based on rent officer data and the 2019/20 LHA rates published here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020. Shared room1 bedroom2 bedroom3 bedroom4+ bedroom14%22%17%18%17%

Department for Work and Pensions: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Mims Davies: No one should suffer unfair treatment because of their gender. Every year International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the important work going on every day across Government to do this. The work ranges from the introduction of shared parental leave, which allows men to take time away from the workplace and bond with their new children, benefitting that crucial long-term relationship for both parent and child, to our programme tackling LGBT bullying in schools which seeks to protect those who may be victimised by outdated and stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a ‘real man’. Government is also working with local authorities to ensure their suicide prevention plans support more men, and in the Domestic Abuse Bill we propose to create a statutory definition of domestic abuse that makes clear men also can be victims of this abhorrent crime.In DWP we have a series of national events taking place over the coming weeks to mark International Men’s Day. DWP have partnered with external organisations (The Good Lad initiative and Springboard Consultancy) to give a platform to raise awareness of the challenges that men face in life and raising awareness of men’s wellbeing. We have also invited DWP senior positive role models to talk about their journey, DWP User Researchers to talk about the issues that impact on men at work and the DWP Women’s Network to lead a session on allies and how allies benefit us all.

Employment and Support Allowance: Telephone Services

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2019 to Question 198, what steps she is taking to improve telephone waiting times for the employment and support allowance telephone helpline.

Justin Tomlinson: As a Department we regularly review the resource required to meet the demand on our telephony channels. Our aim is to provide our customers with the prompt service they deserve but at times high call volumes can have an impact on the service we provide - which may result in some of our customers experiencing extended wait times. Following a recent review, plans are in place for additional staffing to be deployed to handle Employment and Support Allowance calls and following this, we anticipate wait times to reduce.

Employment: Disability

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of disabled people in work.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is committed to improving employment outcomes for disabled people. Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability is our strategy for helping people with disabilities or health conditions enter and remain in employment. It includes details of a wide range of programmes and initiatives that will help support disabled people, in making a successful transition to employment. For example: The Work and Health Programme will provide innovative support for around 275,000 people over five years. The majority of people of starting on the programme (around 220,000) will be disabled people, who can volunteer for the programme at any time. The Personal Support Package for people with health conditions and disabilities, with a range of new interventions and initiatives designed to provide support that is tailored to the individual needs of claimants. Access to Work is a demand-led, discretionary grant scheme which offers advice and in-work support to disabled people, above the level of statutory reasonable adjustments. An Access to Work customer may receive an award of up to £59,200 p.a. to pay for support to help them to enter or retain employment. This can include help with getting to work. Through the Disability Confident scheme, DWP is engaging with employers, offering online guidance and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of disabled people. The new Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme, which will roll out by the end of 2019, will provide highly personalised packages of employment support for disabled people, who are at least a year away from moving into work. Over the last 5 years the number of disabled people in employment has increased by around 1.06 million since Q2 2013, and currently stands at 7.7 million.

Average Earnings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of year-on-year trends in the level of average weekly earnings in each year since 2010.

Mims Davies: Statistics on average weekly earnings growth are published by the independent Office for National Statistics. In August 2010, real (total) pay fell by 0.5%. In August 2019 the real (total) pay growth was 1.9% - an increase in the rate of real wage growth of 2.4 percentage points. The highest real (total) pay growth, between Aug 10 – Aug 19, was in Aug 15 (2.6%). Under the Triple Lock the basic State Pension and the full rate of the new State Pension will be raised the highest of: the rise in prices, the rise in earnings or 2.5%. The relevant measure for earnings is the year-on-year change in Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) from May to July published by the ONS in October, standing at 3.9%DateGrowth in nominal average weekly total payAugust 20101.8 %August 20112.6%August 20121.6%August 20130.7%August 20140.6%August 20153.0%August 20162.4%August 20172.3%August 20182.8%August 20193.8%

Local Housing Allowance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an (a) estimate of the cost to the public purse of restoring local housing allowance to cover the cheapest third of local rents over three years, (b) assessment of the potential effect of that policy on the number of (i) individuals and (ii) families including children (A) able to remain in existing accommodation and (B) no longer classed as being in poverty and (C) assessment of the potential effect on the public purse of changes resulting from that policy in the level of demand for temporary accommodation and other homelessness services.

Will Quince: We estimate the cost of restoring Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents would be about £800 million in 2020/21, £1,000 million in 2021/22 and £1,200 million in 2022/23. This excludes any changes in behaviour by tenants and landlords. We have not made an estimate of the effect on staying in the same accommodation, or on savings that might arise in temporary accommodation and other homelessness services. Poverty projections are inherently speculative as they require projecting how income will change for every individual in society, and this is affected by a huge range of factors.

Bereavement Benefits: Cohabitation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the amount of money bereaved partners potentially missed by not being eligible to receive bereavement benefits reserved for married couples in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: We are still refining our methodology in our assessment of cohabitees that have not received bereavement benefits, and therefore cannot provide a final estimate of expenditure.

Employment: Disability

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers in (a) Crawley and (b) the UK have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme; and how many jobs have been created (i) in and (ii) under that scheme.

Justin Tomlinson: The Disability Confident (DC) scheme was launched in November 2016 and supports the Government’s commitment of helping one million more disabled people into work by 2027. Disability Confident provides employers with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. The scheme is designed as a journey, with all employers starting at Level 1 and progressing through the scheme at their own pace. Accreditation for each level lasts for 3 years. No employer is too small or new to start the journey and even the most experienced employer will still find new techniques and best practice that can help them. As of 13/9/2019, the latest published figures show that over 13,600 employers are signed up to the scheme nationally at the following levels: Level 1 - DC Committed (10,031), Level 2 - DC Employer (3,336), Level 3 - DC Leader (244) of those, 62% are small or micro employers and 80% are SMEs. All main Government departments are DC Leaders (Level 3) and over 83% of Local Authorities signed up, with good penetration of NHS and blue-light services. In Crawley there are 17 Disability Confident organisations; 7 DC Committed (Level 1) and 10 DC Employer (Level 2). Of the 157,000 jobs currently advertised on the DWP Find a Job website, over 20,000 are from DC employers – totalling 13%. Over the last 5 years the number of disabled people in employment has increased by around 1.06 million since Q2 2013, and currently stands at 7.7 million.

Children: Maintenance

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents have had their passports revoked following a failure to make Child Maintenance Service payments since the new provisions came into effect.

Mims Davies: The number of passports revoked by Child maintenance Service is 4. This is clerically derived data, and therefore as with all clerically derived data, is subject to caveat.

Universal Credit

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of home visits being proactively offered to claimants of universal credit that have (a) a cancer diagnosis and (b) other health needs that would require a home visit; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people, including those with a cancer diagnosis, who need to claim Universal Credit to ensure that it is supportive and responsive to their needs. Where claimants are unable to make or manage their Universal Credit claim online, telephone and face to face support in Jobcentres is available. Our staff already have the flexibility to respond to, or proactively suggest, that a home visit may be the best method of providing relevant support. The Department is committed to delivering what is right for a person’s circumstances and will conduct home visits when they are appropriate, recognising they are an important tool for those people with complex needs.

Department for Work and Pensions: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is responsible for digitisation in her Department; and what mechanisms the that person uses to champion digitisation.

Mims Davies: Service transformation is one of the Department for Work and Pensions’ strategic objectives. Accountability is shared between the Director General for Digital and the Director General for Service Excellence. It is coordinated through the Service Transformation Board which provides governance for service improvements as well as the strategic approach to the digitalisation of the Department’s services. The work is championed across the Department, including via Transformation Portfolio Managers and Digital product owners.

Maternity Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2019 to Question 5404, what the working day turn around for maternity allowance claims was before 15 October 2019.

Mims Davies: The working day turnaround for Maternity Allowance claims averaged 55 working days up to the end of September 2019 and increased to 60 days by 15 October 2019.

Department for Work and Pensions: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mims Davies: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK, as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients, published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity. Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department for Work and Pensions are small and vary from year to year.

Home Office

Home Office: Energy Supply

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which provider supplies energy to her Department; how much CO2 was emitted through her Department’s energy consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; whether the criteria her Department uses to selecting an energy supplier include how environmentally friendly the supplier is; and what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce CO2 emissions from its energy use.

Victoria Atkins: The department is mandated to use the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy frameworks for the supply of gas, electricity and liquid fuels. The CCS competes the frameworks on the open market and selects the energy providers according to a set of award criteria, normally based on price and quality. The current suppliers of each of these services are as follow: EDF (Half-Hourly electricity);British Gas (Non Half-Hourly electricity);Corona (gas); andvarious suppliers (liquid fuels).In addition to the Home Office’s main estate, the department is also responsible for running the immigration detention estate, where energy is sourced by the centre operators from various energy providers as part of their outsourced obligations.In 2018/19, the department emitted 30,336 t/CO2e from energy use, which represents a 58% reduction since 2009/10. This has been achieved by smarter working, building consolidations, and energy efficiency measures such as installation of LED lighting. The department is now focusing on developing a pathway to reducing its remaining emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner.

Immigration: Married People

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the right to (a) live and (b) work in the UK of a German national marrying a British citizen.

Brandon Lewis: If the UK leaves the European Union on 31 October without a deal, EU citizens will, for a transitional period before the new points-based immigration system is implemented from January 2021, be able to move to the UK to live and work as they do now. If they wish to remain here after 31 December 2020, they will need by then to apply, free of charge, for 36 months’ European Temporary Leave to Remain or apply for leave under the new system. More information about these arrangements is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/no-deal-immigration-arrangements-for-eu-citizens-moving-to-the-uk-after-brexitUK nationals living in the EU at exit will be able to return to the UK with their family members for a period after exit under current arrangements based on EU law, including until 31 December 2020 with a spouse married after exit. More information about these arrangements is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-paper-on-the-rights-of-uk-nationals-in-the-euOtherwise, EU citizens moving to the UK from January 2021 will, like non-EU citizens, need to meet the requirements of the new points-based immigration system.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 30 September to Question 290873, whether a prisoner serving a sentence is eligible to apply for settled status if they (a) are not serving a sentence that would lead to their deportation, (b) have already acquired the right of permanent residence under EU law, and (c) have completed a continuous qualifying period of five years' residence in the UK.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 30 September to Question 290875, Immigration: EEA Nationals, whether a third country national is eligible to apply for settled status if they are a relative of an EEA national who (a) is serving a prison sentence that has not led to lead to their deportation, (b) has acquired the right of permanent residence under EU law and (c) has completed a continuous qualifying period of five years residence in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Where an EEA citizen has acquired the right of permanent residence under EU law, or has completed a continuous qualifying period of five years’ residence in the UK and Islands, prior to their sentence of imprisonment and that sentence does not lead to their deportation, they will be able to rely on that right of permanent residence, or on that continuous qualifying period of residence, in applying for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.The non-EEA national family member of such an EEA citizen can apply for settled or pre-settled status under the scheme where they meet the relevant eligibility and suitability requirements, as set out in Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department checks the tax and benefit records of applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme who have been in the UK for less than five years and are applying for pre-settled status.

Brandon Lewis: Automated checks are run against any application for status under the EU Settlement Scheme where the applicant provides a National Insurance Number with their application.If the applicant agrees with the result of the automated check, either for pre-settled or settled status, we will not ask them for any further evidence of UK residence. If the check confirms that the applicant is eligible for pre-settled status but the applicant feels that they are eligible for settled status instead they then given the option to provide further evidence confirming this.Information on how the automated checks calculate periods of UK residence, as well as the tax and benefit records that are included in the automated checks, has been published on gov.uk and can be found here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlement-scheme-uk-tax-and-benefits-records-automated-check

Asylum: Finance

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who are in receipt of support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are able to pay (a) travel costs that can only be paid in cash and (b) other travel costs in order to attend Home Office reporting centres.

Victoria Atkins: The assistance available to people supported under section 4 of the 1999 Act consists of accommodation (with gas, electricity and water provided free) and provision of a debit card (the “Aspen Card”) which can be used to buy food and other essential items. The Aspen card cannot be used to withdraw cash, but it bears the visa logo and can be used at retail outlets that accept visa transactions.If the supported person is required to report as a condition of their immigration bail their travel costs are also covered if they are accommodated more than 3 miles away from the reporting centre or in certain other circumstances, for example if they are unable to walk because of a disability.In practical terms the travel costs are covered by issuing tickets or by uploading further funds on to the person’s Aspen card.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what impact assessment was undertaken before the decision was made not to guarantee continued funding for organisations through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Victoria Atkins: All projects under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) will continue to receive funding for the lifetime of their projects, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has guaranteed replacement funding for organisations currently receiving support through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of not replacing funds currently provided to UK organisations through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund on (a) UK organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and (b) refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to provide equivalent funding to replicate the aims of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund after the UK has left the EU.

Victoria Atkins: All projects under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) will continue to receive funding for the lifetime of their projects, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Social Media: Violence

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police staff and officers are working on the Government funded social media hub to tackle violent content online; and what the volume is of gang-related content that has been (a) disrupted and (b) removed from social media platforms.

Kit Malthouse: There are 17 police staff and officers working in the MPS led Social Media Hub. The Hub became operational in May this year and since then it has generated 556 cases of gang-related online content that have resulted in some form of police action or disruption. 83 cases of gang related content have been removed from social media platforms.

Passports: Fees and Charges

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue the Government has received from the issuing of passports in each of the last four years.

Seema Kennedy: Income from passport services are published within the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts which are laid in the House every year pre-summer recess. Please see the attached links for previous four financial years. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/807126/6.5571_HO_Annual_Report_201920_WEB.PDF https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/727179/6_4360_HO_Annual_report_WEB.PDF https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627853/ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdf

Immigration: Republic of Ireland

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that all Irish citizens will retain full existing rights under the Government's proposed immigration bill.

Brandon Lewis: The Immigration Bill will protect the status of Irish citizens in the UK once free movement rights end. This means that Irish citizens will continue to be free to enter and remain in the UK without restriction unless they are subject to a deportation order, exclusion order or international travel ban.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to promote the (a) Windrush Helpline and (b) Windrush Compensation Scheme to individuals in (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) Bangladesh, (iv) Kenya, (v) Singapore, (vi) Malta, (vii) South Africa, (viii) Canada and (ix) Nigeria; and how much has been spent in doing so.

Seema Kennedy: There has been significant outreach and communication activities to reach those most likely to have been affected by the issues around Windrush.To reach international audiences, a High Commissioners event was hosted by the former Immigration Minister to further raise awareness, and working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a briefing was provided to embassies to inform local conversations. Plans are in development for additional activity overseas.

Asylum

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled, Missing the safety net, published by Refugee Action, what processes her Department has in place to escalate support for applications that have been delayed beyond her Department's guidelines on the processing of applications; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The report relates to applications from failed asylum seekers for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. We aim to decide most of these applications within 5 working days, or 2 days of the Home Office reviewing the application if the person is vulnerable, but some take longer because of the need to make further enquiries to establish that the person is eligible to receive the support.The issue has been discussed with the authors of the report and a process through which voluntary sector organisations can escalate concerns about delays in individual cases has been agreed.

Visas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visitor visas were refused in each year since 2010.

Seema Kennedy: Information on the number and proportion of grants and refusals of visitor visas is published in the Home Office’s quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas table vi_01_q, latest edition at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019.

Asylum: Greek Islands

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the resettlement of (a) vulnerable children and (b) unaccompanied minors from Greek islands.

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is in discussion with Greek authorities on additional resettlement places from Greece for (a) unaccompanied minors and (b) migrant children in families.

Victoria Atkins: The UK is at the forefront in protecting children affected by the migration crisis. We remain absolutely committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs Amendment) as soon as possible. We have been making further progress with participating States, Greece, France, and Italy, to transfer more eligible children to move closer to the commitment to transfer 480 children.In keeping with our commitments to ensure that the vulnerable children we have transferred from Greece, France and Italy to the UK under section 67 will have everything they need to be able to start a new life in the UK, we introduced a new form of leave, section 67 leave, in July 2018. Individuals who receive section 67 leave will have the right to study, work, access public funds and healthcare and apply for indefinite leave to remain.Section 67 is one of a number of schemes that offer a safe and legal route to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees. In total, the UK provided protection to over 7,000 children in the year ending June 2019, and 39,500 since the start of 2010, and in every year since 2016, the UK resettled more refugees from out-side Europe than any other EU member state. In the year ending June 2019 the UK received 3,496 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. In 2018, the UK received 15% of all asylum claims from unaccompanied children in the EU, representing the third highest intake country.Until the UK leaves the EU, we remain fully committed to the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation including the provisions determining responsibility for examining the claims of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Officials continue to work closely with Member States, including partners in Greece, to ensure the safe transfer of children under this Regulation.Under Section 17 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act, we are committed to seek to negotiate an agreement with the EU allowing for the family reunion of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, where it is in their best interests, once we leave the EU. We are ready to engage with the EU and with Member States on this matter and will endeavour to negotiate such an agreement as soon as possible.

Asylum: Greece

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK plans to undertake medical evacuations of critically ill children in Greece whose access to adequate and timely healthcare services in that country is obstructed by their migrant status.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Passports

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people hold a UK passport; and what her estimate is of the number and proportion of UK citizens who do not hold a passport.

Seema Kennedy: Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold information on the number of UK citizens without a valid passport. However, I can confirm that there were 51,372,413 valid British passports as of 22 September 2019.

Home Office: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being in formulating policy; and what policies her Department has introduced to improve personal well-being in the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: We use ONS wellbeing statistics to inform Health and Wellbeing policy within the Civil Service. The Home Office also measures personal wellbeing through the annual Civil Service People Survey using the same national statistics that the Office for National statistics (ONS) use for the UK population as a whole.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on (a) refugees and (b) people seeking asylum in the UK of (i) charities and (ii) organisations no longer receiving funding through the Asylum, migration and integration fund.

Victoria Atkins: All projects under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) will continue to receive funding for the lifetime of their projects, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Border Force officers are on standby to be placed at the Irish border on 31 October 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department plans to support the efficient management of migration flows and integration of refugees when the UK no longer receives funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

Victoria Atkins: All projects under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) will continue to receive funding for the lifetime of their projects, even if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Immigration: Afghanistan

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on delays experienced by Afghan Sikh refugees in the UK immigration system.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Overseas Students: English Language

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on the review of the treatment of overseas students alleged to have cheated in English language tests between 2011 and 2014.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Asylum: Sexuality

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the accuracy of the data in the report Experimental Statistics: Asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation updated on Gov.uk in August 2019.

Victoria Atkins: Experimental statistics are statistics which are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build in quality at an early stage. They allow producers of statistics to better understand the strengths and limitations of the data, the value to users, as well as the quality and volatility of the data.Case workers are required to ensure the information recorded on the system is robust, by flagging asylum cases involving sexual orientation issues at the point where the issue is raised in the claim. Statisticians continue to work with operational colleagues, and monitor trends in the data, to ensure the data are of high quality, and the strengths and limitations are well understood and communicated to users. Users are invited to provide feedback on the statistics.The ‘experimental’ nature of the statistics is kept under review in line with UK Statistics Authority guidelines.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the minimum income requirement threshold after the UK leaves the EU.

Seema Kennedy: The minimum income requirement is set at the level which prevents burdens on the taxpayer and promotes integration. We have kept the family Immigration Rules under review and made adjustments in light of feedback, including from the courts, on their operation and impact.The overall assessment is that the minimum income requirement strikes a fair balance between an individual’s right to family life, the economic wellbeing of the UK and the community in general.In last year’s immigration white paper, ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’, the Government agreed to the principle that minimum salary thresholds should be retained for the new skilled worker route. These thresholds should help control migration, ensuring that it is reduced to sustainable levels, whilst ensuring that the UK can attract the talented people needed for the country to continue to prosper. Salary thresholds should also see skilled migrants continue to make a positive contribution to public finances.In June 2019, the Migration Advisory Committee were commissioned to advise on a number of issues concerning potential future thresholds and the range at which they could be set. These include the mechanism for calculating future salary thresholds, salary threshold levels, whether there should be regional salary thresholds and the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC has been asked to report by January 2020. Further details of the commission can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829234/Home_Secretary_Professor_Manning_-_Points-based_system.pdf

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the Wendy Williams' report on the Windrush lessons learned review.

Seema Kennedy: The Home Secretary has not yet received the final report from Wendy Williams. On receipt, it will be published as soon as practicable.

Home Office: Jainism and Zoroastrianism

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by her Department in each of the last two years.

Victoria Atkins: Ministers have attended a number of key events coordinated by Jain and Zoroastrian organisations, and officials have invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British National Overseas passports are held by citizens of Hong Kong.

Seema Kennedy: As at 18 October 2019 the number of valid British National (Overseas) Passports in circulation was 255,377. The data provided is for all British National (Overseas) passports as this information cannot be broken down by where a passport holder is currently residing.

Counter-terrorism: Disclosure of Information

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s response to the freedom of information request submitted to the Home Office by Liberty, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the finding that the personal details of individuals submitted to the Prevent programme have been added to the National Police Prevent Case Management database.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Asylum: Disclosure of Information

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to (a) record and (b) publish data on asylum claims based on (i) gender identity and expression and (ii) sex characteristics.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does We do not record data on asylum claims based on either gender identity and expression issues or on variations of sex characteristics on the Home Office case-working information database. The option to record and publish this data remains under review.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 293633 on Immigration: EU Nationals, what estimate she has made of the proportion of settled status applications that are not completed within the five working days target.

Brandon Lewis: Our aim is to process all applications to the Scheme as expeditiously as possible. The majority of applications are concluded within 5 working days.The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based on current performance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications.However, it is likely to take longer in the following instances:Further information is required from an applicant;If the applicant is applying as a minor and or the application is not linked to an adult;If the applicant has submitted a paper application;If the applicant has a relevant criminal record;If the applicant is a non-EEA or non-Swiss citizen and are applying based on a relationship not relied on in a previous application to the Home Office.Overall, the total number of applications that have been concluded, as of 30 September 2019, was more than 1.5 million (1,524,500). Of these, 61% were granted settled status, 38% were granted pre-settled status.

Disclosure and Barring Service

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 264398 on Disclosure and Barring Service and with reference to page 1 of the letter from the Cabinet Secretary of 10 April 2019 to the Public Accounts Committee inquiry on Disclosure and Barring Service: progress review, if he will place in the Library copies of the independence assurance reviews of the programme conducted in February 2014 and June 2014.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 264399 on Disclosure and Barring Service, and with reference to page 1 of the letter from the Cabinet Secretary of 10 April 2019 to the Public Accounts Committee inquiry on Disclosure and Barring Service: progress review if he will place in the Library copies of the analysis provided by his Department's officials.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 264401 on Disclosure and Barring Service and with reference to page 2 of the letter from the Cabinet Secretary of 10 April 2019 to the Public Accounts Committee inquiry on Disclosure and Barring Service: progress review, what estimate he has made of the increased cost to deliver modernisation as a result of the revision of the Full Business Case.

Victoria Atkins: 3677:A copy of the requested documents have been provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and will be placed in the Library.3678The information you requested is being withheld as the data is commercially sensitive. To disclose would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).3679:The 2012 FBC set a funding envelope of £537.7m to cover the ICT investment and the running costs of DBS for a five-year period to 2017/18. The changes made in 2014 led to a revised funding envelope of £786m for the whole life cost of the programme that would run the entire DBS programme until the financial year 2018/19. Subject to finalisation of DBS’s 2018/19 financial accounts, we anticipate the final whole of life cost being £873 million, with the largest component of this relating to operating costs to deliver a higher volume of products and services than originally forecast in either of the business cases.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether British Overseas Territories citizenship will be granted to individuals descended from Chagossians born in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Seema Kennedy: People born in the British Indian Ocean Territory acquired British overseas territories citizenship by birth. Their children (the second generation, who were born elsewhere) will therefore have become citizens by descent.Under British Nationality law citizenship is normally only passed on to one generation born abroad. This means that grandchildren of resettled Chagossians (the third generation) do not have an automatic claim to British overseas territories citizenship.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether EU citizens that have renewed their passport are able to provide evidence of their new passport number to the EU Settlement Scheme by (a) submitting their new passport via recorded delivery and (b) scanning their new passport using the mobile app.

Brandon Lewis: EU citizens can access their status online by entering the document number from the identity document they used in their application (even if this document has expired), plus their date of birth.Identity document updates currently require applicants to post their new identity documents to the Home Office as supporting evidence and to protect against identity fraud, however we are continuing to deliver improvements to make these processes as user friendly as possible by making them entirely online.In the short term, if applicants wish to add new identity documents to their status profile they can do so using the existing Update My Details process in their online profile. This currently requires them to post their new identity documents to the Home Office for manual verification.The requirement to post identity documents in for a straightforward new document update (where no identity details have changes) is a temporary one, and applicants could choose to wait until the service is available online to update these details.We are currently working on delivering a fast, secure and user friendly process for applicants to add new identity documents to their status profile through an entirely online process and expect this service to be available in the coming months. The mobile app will be available to applicants as an option when a document check is required as part of the update, meaning applicants will no longer need to post their document to the Home Office.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to complete applications to the EU Settlement Scheme in each month since its inception.

Brandon Lewis: It usually takes around 5 working days for completed applications to be processed, but it can take up to a month if the Home Office needs to request more information, for example: if the applicant is applying as a minor and or the application is not linked to an adult; if the applicant has submitted a paper application; if the applicant has a relevant criminal record; if the applicant is a non-EEA or non-Swiss citizen and are applying based on a relationship not relied on in a previous application to the Home Office Overall, the total number of applications that have been concluded, as of 30 September 2019, was more than 1.5 million (1,524,500). Of these, 61% were granted settled status, 38% were granted pre-settled status.The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications based on current performance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications.

Police: Hate Crime

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for longer sentences for people who commit hate crime against police officers.

Kit Malthouse: All hate crimes are completely unacceptable, and the UK has robust hate crime legislation. The Government is committed to tackling hate crime, through the Hate Crime Action Plan, including by asking the Law Commission to conduct a full review of the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislation.We must ensure police officers have the full protection of the law when carrying out their duties. That is why we supported the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act which came into effect on 13 November 2018. The Act means that judges must consider tougher sentences for assaults on emergency workers, including police officers and staff. In September 2019, the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Justice also wrote to the Chair of the Sentencing Council, encouraging the Council to consider assaults against emergency workers at the forefront of their upcoming review of the sentencing guidelines for assaults.

Police: Training

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding she has allocated to provide police officers with inner armour training.

Kit Malthouse: The Government takes police wellbeing and morale very seriously and is doing everything it can to support policing including investing in programmes which offer help directly to officers. That is why we have invested £7.5m in a new National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The Government also welcomes the work being led by forces to promote officer health and wellbeing. Each Chief Constable has a duty to manage and support their workforce effectively, ensuring the welfare of all officers and staff.The NPWS was launched in April 2019 and has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. These include resources to help forces better support officers and staff who are experiencing mental health problems.This Government is committed to ensuring that the police have the support and protection they need to keep themselves and the public safe. That is why the Government has outlined its commitment to bring forward a Police Protection Bill that will strengthen the legal protection for pursuit drivers and establish a Police Covenant. The Covenant will focus on physical protection for officers, their health and wellbeing and support for their families.This Government has also recently announced £10m in Taser funding, this could mean over 10,000 more police officers in England and Wales will be able to carry the devices to help protect themselves and the public.

Criminal Investigation

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government collects data on the number of people released under investigation for each category of offence.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects data from forces on the number of individuals released on pre-charge bail. The most recent statistics were published on 24 October 2019 www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019. Due to data quality issues, these statistics can give an indicative picture only, and should be treated with caution. Figures suggest 86,600 individuals were released on pre-charge bail year ending 31 March 2019.Work is ongoing to improve this data collection, and to explore a separate but complementary collection on released under investigation.

Electronic Cigarettes: Drugs

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times police services have been called to (a) a school and (b) other locations for an incident in relation to vaping fluid laced with (i) cannabis and (ii) Spice in the last 12 months.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold this data.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inspections the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority has undertaken on farms employing workers under the seasonal workers pilot scheme.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Human Trafficking: Essex

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will provide financial assistance for repatriation of the bodies of the people discovered in a shipping container in Essex on 23 October 2019 once their identities are confirmed.

Seema Kennedy: Once the identities of the victims of the tragic incident in Grays are confirmed we will liaise with the relevant embassies on how to provide support to the victims’ families.

Knives: Crime

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the research undertaken to identify target audiences prior to launching the #knifefree campaign on fast food containers.

Kit Malthouse: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent advertising and promoting the Windrush Compensation Scheme in (a) Romsey and Southampton North constituency and (b) nationally.

Kit Malthouse: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Vagrancy Act 1824

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support the review of the Vagrancy Act 1824 being carried out by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is engaged with the MHCLG-led review of the Vagrancy Act.

Greece: Prisoners' Release

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many persons released from Greek prisons under the Paraskevopoulos Law have subsequently entered the UK.

Seema Kennedy: We do not hold information on individuals released from Greek prisons under the Paraskevopoulos Law.

Asylum

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken has been for her Department to process asylum claims for cases of (a) unaccompanied asylum seeking children and (b) other cases of acute vulnerability in each month since January 2019.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not publish data relating to the average time taken to process asylum claims for cases of (a) unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and (b) other cases of acute vulnerability in each month since January 2019.Data on current performance can be found at tab Asy_10 of the Asylum Transparency Data August 2019 at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2019We are committed to ensuring that asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delay, to ensure that individuals who need protection are granted asylum as soon as possible and can start to integrate and rebuild their lives, including those granted at appeal.Whilst steps are taken to increase capacity and focus on process improvements to deliver better quality asylum decisions more efficiently, we have moved away from the 6-month service standard to concentrate on older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). Additionally, we are prioritising cases where an individual has already received a decision, but a reconsideration is required.This approach is intended to bring balance back to the asylum system. We have engaged with stakeholders as part of our plans to introduce new service standards. We are considering this valuable insight as we work to shape the new service standards.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 7 October to Question 290879 on Immigration: EU Nationals, what information her Department will provide to an organisation that an applicant has cited in their EU Settlement Scheme application.

Brandon Lewis: Applicants are required to provide evidence to confirm their identity and residence in the UK, or alternatively provide evidence that an exception for the documentation required under the Scheme applies – for example, where an applicant’s age or illness are a barrier to the applicant travelling to their home country or embassy to obtain a new passport or birth certificate. Where the Home Office has doubts about the authenticity of the document supplied, then it may seek to verify the document or its contents with the organisation concerned.The information provided in all circumstances is the information on the document or the document itself.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2019 to Question 290879 on Immigration: EU Nationals, what processes she has in place to monitor the EU Settlement Scheme for abuse and misuse of personal data.

Brandon Lewis: We have a duty to safeguard and ensure the security of personal information. We do that by having systems and policies in place to limit access to information and prevent unauthorised disclosure. Staff who access personal information must have appropriate security clearance and a business need for accessing the information, and their activity is subject to audit and review.Any personal data must be handled in line with the terms of the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Home Office: Written Questions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Questions (a) 161, (b) 162 and (c) 164 tabled on 14 October 2019 by the hon. Member for Sheffield Central.

Brandon Lewis: Automated checks are run against any application for status under the EU Settlement Scheme where the applicant provides a National Insurance Number with their application.If the applicant agrees with the result of the automated check, either for pre-settled or settled status, we will not ask them for any further evidence of UK residence. If the check confirms that the applicant is eligible for pre-settled status but the applicant feels that they are eligible for settled status instead they then given the option to provide further evidence confirming this.Information on how the automated checks calculate periods of UK residence, as well as the tax and benefit records that are included in the automated checks, has been published on gov.uk and can be found here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlement-scheme-uk-tax-and-benefits-records-automated-check

Retail Trade: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences of (a) malicious wounding, (b) grievous bodily harm, (c) actual bodily harm and (d) common assault - aggravated were perpetrated against a worker in a retail setting in the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises the damaging impact that violence and abuse toward shop workers can have, not only for victims, but also for businesses, and the wider community. This is why in April of this year the Government launched a call for evidence on violence and abuse toward shop staff to help strengthen our understanding of the scale and extent of the issue. The consultation has now closed, and we will publish our response in due course.The Commercial Victimisation Survey publishes estimates of assaults and threats against staff in the Wholesale and Retail sector annually going back to 2012. The latest results can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829399/crime-against-businesses-2018-hosb1719.pdfHowever, due to the sample size, it is not possible to provide estimates at sub-national level.

Knives: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) knives were found in and (b) offences involving knives occurred in or in the vicinity of (a) secondary schools and sixth form colleges and (b) primary schools in the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Our schools should be safe and disciplined environments for both pupils and teachers and no young person should feel the need to bring a weapon to school.That’s why we are taking action across Government to tackle the scourge of knife crime with a focus on early intervention.The Home Office does not hold information on the number of knives recovered the in the vicinity of school or sixth from college premises.

Human Trafficking: Essex

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the background circumstances of the 39 Chinese nationals found killed in Grays, Essex on 23 October 2019 including the possibility that the victims were (a) Uyghur Muslims or members of another religious or ethnic minority group in China seeking asylum in the UK or (b) victims of modern slavery being trafficked for the purposes of economic exploitation by organised criminal groups.

Seema Kennedy: Essex police are carrying out their investigation at pace including assessing the background of the circumstances of the victims in the tragic event at Grays.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund

Emma Reynolds: To ask the secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to continue to allocate money to the Government's Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Human Trafficking: Children

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect vulnerable children from human trafficking.

Victoria Atkins: The trafficking of children is an appalling crime. Where children are found to be victims of modern slavery or trafficking the Government is committed to protecting their safety and welfare.Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the support they require.Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs), recently renamed from Independent Child Trafficking Advocates, are additional to this statutory support and are an independent source of advice for trafficked children and somebody who can speak up on their behalf.This year, the Government has successfully rolled out ICTGs to one third of all local authorities in England and Wales. Where the service is available, all children that are potential victims of trafficking are eligible for support.Government has welcomed the findings of the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which included a specific set of recommendations relating the wider roll out of ICTGs. In-line with the Government’s response, published in July 2019, we are currently considering the Review’s recommendations on ICTGs and will provide a further update to Parliament ahead of national roll out.

Fire and Rescue Services: Inspections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fire safety audits were completed by each Fire Brigade in England in each year since 2009-10.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of fire safety officers employed in England in each year since 2006.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of buildings subjected to a fire safety audit were deemed unsatisfactory in each of the last ten years.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many automated fire suppression systems have been installed by each Fire Brigade in England in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The total number of fire safety audits and the number of unsuccessful audits carried out by fire and rescue services (FRSs) in each year since 2010/11 are available in table FIRE1202 (link below). Information prior to 2010/11 is not available on a consistent basis.This summer for the first time the Home Office collected information on the number of staff employed by FRSs for fire safety activities. The information can be found in FS10 in FIRE1204 (link below). This showed that in England on 31 March 2019 there were 72 fire engineers (Full Time Equivalent) employed by FRSs, 503 staff competent to carry out a short audit, 951 competent to carry out an audit, 597 competent to serve an enforcement notice and 407 competent to serve a prohibition notice. As FRS staff are likely to be competent to carry out more than one of these activities, the categories are not mutually exclusive.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables#fire-prevention-and-protectionThe Home Office does not collect information on the number of automated fire suppression systems installed by fire and rescue services.

Criminal Investigation

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to collect data on the category of offences for people released under investigation.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects data from forces on the number of individuals released on pre-charge bail. The most recent statistics were published on 24 October 2019 www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019. Due to data quality issues, these statistics can give an indicative picture only, and should be treated with caution. Figures suggest 86,600 individuals were released on pre-charge bail year ending 31 March 2019.Work is ongoing to improve this data collection, and to explore a separate but complementary collection on released under investigation.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 10 December 2018 to HL11784, whether biometric data from people who have obtained settled status will not be retained.

Brandon Lewis: Biometric data, a facial image only for EEA nationals and Facial Image and Fingerprints for Non-EEA nationals, for persons who hold Settled Status will be retained in accordance with the answer of 10 December 2018 HL11784 and in alignment with the Border Immigration and Citizenship Privacy notice.A settled status holder is reliant on being able to prove they have status indefinitely and may at any time in the future, when they are eligible, make an application for citizenship, in which identity checks to confirm they are correct holder of status will be performed.

Asylum: Fraud

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the UKVI investigations into asylum fraud since 2009 have resulted in criminal prosecutions.

Seema Kennedy: Since 2014, when records were centralised, Immigration Enforcement has undertaken 6 criminal prosecutions into asylum fraud.

Immigration: Fraud

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the UKVI-led prosecutions for immigration fraud since 2009 have resulted in convictions.

Seema Kennedy: Since 2014, when records were centralised, Immigration Enforcement has secured 3 convictions into asylum fraud.

Asylum: Scotland

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Question 281779 on Asylum: Scotland, how many asylum seekers resident in Scotland have been required to attend Home Office appointments in England as part of their asylum application; on how many occasions those applicants did not attend those appointments; and how many asylum seekers that failed to attend a Home Office appointment in England when they were resident in Scotland had their asylum application refused in each of the last five calendar years.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not routinely publish data to answer this question.Whilst we hold data on the current addresses of asylum claimants, data on how many asylum seekers resident in Scotland have been required to attend Home Office appointments in England as part of their asylum application; on how many occasions those applicants did not attend those appointments; and how many asylum seekers that failed to attend a Home Office appointment in England when they were resident in Scotland had their asylum application refused in each of the last five calendar years, could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.The Home Office does routinely publish data on the number of applications for asylum refused in the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by nationality, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, the latest release published on 22nd August 2019.Latest edition available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/list-of-tables

Asylum: Scotland

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Question 281780 tabled on 24 July 2019 on Asylum: Scotland, what assessment she has made of the (a) financial and (b) other barriers faced by asylum seekers that are resident in Scotland required to attend Home Office appointments in England as part of their asylum application.

Victoria Atkins: As part of the asylum process, asylum seekers are expected to attend Home Office appointments such as screening interviews and substantive asylum interviews.Individuals receiving asylum support are provided with travel cards, or are reimbursed accordingly, to ensure they can attend their Home Office appointments without financial detriment.As part of the registration process, no provision is made for funding in advance of the registration. If an asylum seeker is destitute or vulnerable, they can present themselves to Migrant Help who may assist with access to travel.We are committed to ensuring that asylum claims are considered without unnecessary delay. Asylum Operations are currently exploring several initiatives to improve the asylum application process to provide a better service to claimants.

Catalytic Converters: Theft

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps police forces are taking to improve the recording of thefts of catalytic converters from motor vehicles.

Kit Malthouse: The Government recognises the distress and disruption that metal theft, including the theft of catalytic converters, can cause.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes police recorded crime data on metal theft offences annually which can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtables. Whilst the ONS data does not separate out theft of catalytic converters, this would be recorded under non-infrastructure related incidents.We continue to work closely with the police, industry and others to understand what more we can do to tackle vehicle-related theft.

Passports: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications from residents of the Republic of Ireland were processed by the passport office in Belfast in each year since April 2017.

Seema Kennedy: The table below shows the volume of British passports printed between 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2019 for residents of the Republic of Ireland whose applications were processed by the Belfast passport office. Financial YearVolume2017-20189,1392018-20199,762

Immigration: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taken to ensure that the Status Checking Programme is fully operational before the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The online status service for those granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme has been operational since summer 2018, and has already been used by hundreds of thousands of individuals to check their status information. Since the end of September 2019, those granted status under the Settlement Scheme have been able to share that status with any third party via a simple online service.

Hate Crime: Autism

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to record the number of incidents of hate crime against people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Victoria Atkins: The police are already required to record hate crimes that target people with disabilities, which includes people with autistic spectrum disorders. This data is collected and published by the Home Office on a yearly basis. The most recent data shows an increase between 2016/17 and 2017/18 of 14% to 8,256 disability hate crimes. This is likely driven by improvements to police recording, but also an increase in victims feeling able to come forward.This Government takes all forms of hate crime extremely seriously, which is why we published the Hate Crime Action Plan in 2016 and refreshed it in 2018. The refresh reaffirmed our commitment to protecting victims of hate crime, including increasing reporting, so that victims receive the support they need, and offenders are brought to justice.

Fraud

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Police and Crime Commissioners on ensuring that fraud cases are investigated (a) effectively and (b) quickly.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Secretary meets regularly with PCCs where a wide variety of topics are discussed including fraud.Following the HMICFRS report on fraud, titled ‘Fraud: Time to Choose’, all PCCs provided a response to the Home Office. The Home Office is currently considering further engagement on the back of these responses.

Drugs: Misuse

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to introduce drug consumption rooms.

Kit Malthouse: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Knives: Crime

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of police stop and search powers in reducing knife crime.

Kit Malthouse: Stop and search helps to seize deadly weapons from our streets and is a vital tool in the fight against violent crime. We fully support the police in their use of this power to tackle serious violence and protect our communities from harm. There were over 9,300 offensive weapons arrests in 2018-19, a 20% increase on the previous year, and the Metropolitan Police Service believe that the increased use of stop and search is helping cut serious injuries among under 25s.

Home Office: Written Questions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Question 596 tabled on 15 October 2019 by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East.

Seema Kennedy: The response to question UIN 596 was answered on the 5th November 2019.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) Belgian, (b) Dutch (c) French, (d) German, (e) Italian and (f) Luxembourg nationals who were granted indefinite leave to remain prior to the accession of the UK to the EEC on 1 January 1973.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics of settlement grants in the United Kingdom for non Commonwealth nationals before 1973 are published in table se 06 ‘Grants of settlement to Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals’) available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/list-of-tables#settlement.A breakdown of specific nationalities within this historical data is not available.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the immigration status of EU27 nationals resident in the UK will be in the event that the UK leaves the EU if they were given indefinite leave to remain by the UK Government before either (a) the UK joined the EEC or (b) their country of origin joined the EEC/EC/EU.

Brandon Lewis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2019.The correct answer should have been:

EU citizens who already hold indefinite leave to remain, regardless of when this was granted, can continue to rely on this status once the UK has left the European Union. They do not need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but they may do so if they wish as, in line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU reached on 17 October 2019, indefinite leave to remain granted under the scheme (referred to as ‘settled status’) has some additional benefits. For example, it will not lapse unless the person is absent from the UK and Islands for more than five years rather than for more than two years.Relevant guidance for EU citizens is available here:https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/if-you-have-permanent-residence-or-indefinite-leave-to-remain.EU citizens who already hold indefinite leave to remain, regardless of when this was granted, can continue to rely on this status once the UK has left the European Union. They do not need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but they may do so if they wish as, in line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU reached on 17 October 2019. Relevant guidance for EU citizens is available here:https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/if-you-have-permanent-residence-or-indefinite-leave-to-remain.

Brandon Lewis: EU citizens who already hold indefinite leave to remain, regardless of when this was granted, can continue to rely on this status once the UK has left the European Union. They do not need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but they may do so if they wish as, in line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU reached on 17 October 2019, indefinite leave to remain granted under the scheme (referred to as ‘settled status’) has some additional benefits. For example, it will not lapse unless the person is absent from the UK and Islands for more than five years rather than for more than two years.Relevant guidance for EU citizens is available here:https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/if-you-have-permanent-residence-or-indefinite-leave-to-remain.EU citizens who already hold indefinite leave to remain, regardless of when this was granted, can continue to rely on this status once the UK has left the European Union. They do not need to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but they may do so if they wish as, in line with the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU reached on 17 October 2019. Relevant guidance for EU citizens is available here:https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/if-you-have-permanent-residence-or-indefinite-leave-to-remain.

Immigration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support EU, EEA and Swiss citizens that require assistance to apply for settled status.

Brandon Lewis: The EU Settlement Scheme is designed to make it simple and straightforward for EU citizens and their family members to apply to stay in the UK after we leave the EU.The Home Office has introduced a range of support including grant funding for voluntary and community organisations and assisted digital support. In addition, the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre can provide help and information by telephone and e-mail on the application process.Up to £9 million of grant funding has been made available to 57 civil society organisations to enable them to mobilise services targeted at vulnerable EU citizens and their families. We believe these organisations have the best net-works and expertise to support the most vulnerable and will help ensure that those who require the most support to apply to the scheme can access it.The support model offers support to all who need it, not just those receiving support from charities. It is there to provide guidance, reassurance and practical help tailored to individual needs. The range of available support includes providing key information in a range of languages and formats and offering assisted digital support for those who cannot access or are not confident with technology.

Immigration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to inform (a) EU, (b) EEA and (c) Swiss citizens residing in the UK who have not applied for settled status of the rules and requirements for doing so.

Brandon Lewis: It is vital that the over three million EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.That is why, when the scheme launched fully in March, the department delivered a £3.75m marketing campaign to raise awareness of the scheme.Advertising and local events are underway to support the cross government Get Ready campaign and further publicity will roll out over the lifetime of the Scheme. All available channels will be used to reach our audiences – such as direct marketing, radio, video-on-demand and outdoor advertising, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars to name a few – to direct EU citizens towards reliable sources of information on GOV.UK and the application itself.No-one will be left behind which is why we are also working in partnership with vulnerable group representatives, local authorities and other experts to make everyone knows what they need to do and has the right level of support.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether EU citizens resident in the UK will be subject to penalties if they do not apply for settled status by the deadline of (a) 30 June 2021 and (b) 31 December 2020 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Brandon Lewis: Through the EU Settlement Scheme, we have provided a free and easy process for EU citizens resident in the UK to obtain the immigration status they need to continue living in this country. We have received over 2.2 million applications so far and those who have yet to apply have more than a year to do so, as the deadline if the UK leaves the EU without a deal will be at least 31 December 2020. We are providing additional support to those who require assistance in applying to the scheme.Those who fail to make an application will not have lawful status in the UK when the new immigration system is introduced, but we have been clear that, where they have reasonable grounds for missing the deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply. Our compassionate and flexible approach will ensure that individuals who miss the deadline through no fault of their own can still obtain lawful status in the UK.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy on the EU Settlement Scheme of the finding in Library Briefing Note entitled, The progress of the EU Settlement Scheme so far, published on 18 October 2019, that 38.5 per cent of concluded applications have received pre-settled status.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Extradition: USA

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer on 22 October 2019 to Question 151 on Extradition: USA, how many (a) US citizens have been extradited to the UK and (b) UK citizens have been extradited to the US since the implementation of the Extradition Act 2003.

Brandon Lewis: Since 2007, the UK has surrendered 49 UK nationals to the US. During the same time period the US has surrendered 11 US nationals to the UK.All figures are taken from local management information, and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

Convictions: Biometrics

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer on 16 October 2019 to Question 999 on Convictions: biometrics, if she will undertake an assessment of the accuracy of different facial composite methods and the subsequent effect on conviction rates.

Kit Malthouse: The procurement of software to produce composite facial images is an operational matter for the police

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government’s policy is on the importation of small amounts of prescribed medical cannabis that have been sourced from abroad.

Kit Malthouse: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the EU Settlement Scheme were delayed by technical issues in each month since the scheme was launched.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Emergency Services Network

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2019 to Question 1909 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Ystradffin Farm, when negotiations on that lease were opened by his Department.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2019 to Question 1909 on Ystradffin Farm, what the annual leasing costs are of that site.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2019 to Question 1909 on Ystradffin Farm, what other properties were considered before that lease was entered into.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2019 to Question 2741 on Ystradffin Farm, what topographical considerations led to that location being chosen for a lattice mast.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2019 to Question 2741 on Ystradffin Farm, what tendering process was undertaken for that project.

Kit Malthouse: Initial discussions, followed by negotiations, for the ESN site at Ystradffin started in February 2018. The proposed annual leasing costs for the site are commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government’s policy is on the importation of legally prescribed medical cannabis for individuals that has been sourced from abroad.

Kit Malthouse: There are established lawful routes of supply that are employed for the import of all controlled drugs. As THC is a controlled substance, there is currently an established system in the UK which allows for the lawful importation of THC in CBPM products, through consistent and authorised processes, which deters the need for patients to travel abroad to obtain such products.

Police: Recruitment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £750 million police recruitment fund announced in the Spending Review will be retained by her Department to spend on publicity.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £750 million of funding for the recruitment of police officers in 2020-21 will be allocated to (a) police forces and (b) retained by her Department.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office is investing £750 million of new funding into policing to enable forces to recruit 6,000 additional officers by the end of March 2021.The full details of this funding will be announced at the provisional police funding settlement announcement in the usual way.

Home Office: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Radicalism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle extremism in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of extremism under its Counter-Extremism Strategy published in October 2015. The strategy sets out a programme of action to build our understanding of extremism, to challenge extremism and disrupt extremist activity and to strengthen communities and institutions so that they are better resist extremist narratives by building partnerships with all those opposed to extremism. On 19 July this year, the then Home Secretary announced that a new counter-extremism strategy would be developed for publication in 2020 when the current strategy comes to an end.In March 2018 the Government established an independent Commission for Countering Extremism to support society to challenge all forms of extremism, to provide impartial advice to Government and to bring new drive and thinking to our efforts to tackle extremism. The Commission’s first report into extremism was published on 7 October this year.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 282282 on Animal Experiments: Licensing, (a) whether project licences authorising multiple generic projects may include authorisation of the forced swim test under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and (b) what severity classification, according to definitions of severity described in that Act, is assigned to projects that include the forced swim test as an element of the programme of work.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Undocumented Workers

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s inspection into the Home Office’s Approach to Illegal Working, published 9 May 2019, how much her Department spent on on-site immigration officials from October 2016 to September 2018.

Victoria Atkins: The service is provided to partners at their request on a cost recovery, not for profit basis and the costs of the service are recovered from our partners. The fees for the service are set out in the Home Office immigration and nationality fees order of 29 March 2019.

Undocumented Workers

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s inspection into the Home Office’s Approach to Illegal Working, published 9 May 2019, if she will publish the Memorandum of Understandings referenced in paragraphs (a) 7.2, (b) 11.33 and (c) 11.5 and (d) 12.13.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Undocumented Workers

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number of arrests resulting from illegal working deployments by ICE teams between 1 April 2015 and 1 October 2019, by ethnicity.

Seema Kennedy: The Home Office is unable to provide information on the ethnicity of individuals arrested by Immigration Enforcement teams as the information requested is not recorded in a reportable format.

Community Development

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many community events have been (a) held and (b) hosted by the National Community Engagement team in the last 12 months.

Seema Kennedy: 20 community events have been held /hosted by the National Community Engagement Team in the last 12 months.

Community Development

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many events hosted by the National Community Engagement team have taken place at (a) a community centre, (b) a place of worship and (c) within local authorities premises.

Seema Kennedy: 16 events hosted by the National Community Engagement Team have been hosted at community centres.3 events hosted by the National Community Engagement Team have been hosted at a place of worship.1 event hosted by the National Community Engagement Team has been hosted within local authorities’ premises.

Undocumented Migrants

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals without leave to remain have been encountered by the Home Office through the National Community Engagement team.

Seema Kennedy: I can confirm that the Home Office does not hold the information requested. This is because a head count would not have been taken as a matter of course at the events and no central database regarding these events is maintained. Additionally, we do not record any personal information relating to any individuals who attend engagement events.

Deportation: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals were removed from the UK for failing to exercise their treaty rights in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017 (e) 2018 and (f) 2019.

Seema Kennedy: The Home Office publishes data on returns quarterly and this can be found in table RT_05-q on gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statisticsEU nationals will be removed for either not exercising treaty rights or on criminality grounds. Returns of Foreign National Offenders broken down by EU/Non-EU can be found at table RT_06_q. The remainder are individuals who are not exercising treaty rights.

Deportation: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals who had not served a prison sentence in the UK were deported in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017, (e) 2018 and (f) 2019.

Seema Kennedy: The Home Office does publish quarterly statistics on the numbers of EU Foreign Nationals removed from the UK. This data can be found by accessing the following. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/list-of-tables

Home Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30 (B) 31 to 40 (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office processes honours nominations for Home Office employees and our stakeholders, including members of the Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Service. The information requested is provided the attached table. 



Table A - PQ 7685
(Excel SpreadSheet, 34 KB)

Missing People: Biometrics

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to work with (a) Kent Police, (b) West Midlands Police and (c) the British Transport Police on running live facial recognition trials to identify and track missing and vulnerable people.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has been in discussions with all three forces about facial recognition trials.The forces have not made any decisions on whether to proceed with any of these trials.

Home Office: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who is responsible for digitisation in her Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office has established a Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer, to enable the Home Office to keep citizens safe and the country secure through leading-edge digital, data and technology solutions.HO DDaT works in partnership with the Department to build and run digital services and systems. It does this by ensuring reliable, responsive, secure technology and data; an improved technology experience for employees; fully accessible customer-centric digital services; and building for the future. It makes digital information, systems and services available to the public through gov.uk.HO DDaT works closely with the Government Digital Service (GDS), which leads the digital function across government. Focus is on ‘digital maturity’ as opposed to “digitisation”.

British Nationals Abroad: Syria

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of local authority capacity to support British children returning from North east Syria.

Victoria Atkins: Children returning from Syria are likely to have been exposed to the conflict, indoctrination, to have experienced severe trauma, and in some circumstances pose national security concerns that need to be carefully managed.The Home Office has funded an NHS Foundation Trust to assist local authorities and local NHS trusts to conduct comprehensive mental health and emotional wellbeing assessments of all British children returning from the conflict in Syria; and to provide key worker support to assist in the safe reintegration of those children. Our support will be tailored to the needs of each individual child.

Proceeds of Crime: South Sudan

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by Sentry entitled The Taking of South Sudan, what steps her Department is taking to identify and seize criminally-derived assets as a result of state corruption in South Sudan.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017-2022 sets out commitments to work with other countries to tackle corruption. A number of these are particularly relevant to developing countries – where corruption can result in money laundering via opaque financial centres.In July 2019 HMG also published its asset recovery action plan which sets out steps we are taking to deliver a whole system approach to depriving criminals of their criminal assets We have also brought in additional civil powers to strengthen the asset recovery regime, such as Unexplained Wealth Orders to require a person to explain the sources of their wealth and Account Freezing Orders, which allow the freezing of assets while investigation is ongoing.

Asylum: Sri Lanka

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Sri Lankan nationals have been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of torture since 2015.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not record the information in such a way that allows us to report on how many Sri Lankan nationals have been granted asylum in the UK on the grounds of torture since 2015.The Home Office does publish data in the Immigration Statistics, which provides the total number of asylum applications for main applicants and outcomes including those granted asylum, by country of nationality, broken down by year. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2019/list-of-tables#asylum.

Motorcycles: Road Traffic Offences

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle the illegal use of motorcycles in Southampton.

Kit Malthouse: The police have powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Police Reform Act 2002 to seize vehicles being driven illegally without a valid driving licence or insurance or in an anti-social manner. Decisions on when to use these powers are operational matters for individual Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables in conjunction with local policing plans. They are best placed to understand how to meet the needs of local communities and I welcome the work Hampshire Constabulary are doing to tackle the illegal use of motorcycles under Operation Torque.

Sussex Police

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on community safety in Sussex of the change in the number of Sussex police officers between 2010 and 2019; what the difference is between 2010 levels and Government plans for additional officers; if he will make it his policy to restore Sussex Police numbers to at least 2010 levels; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the level of resources required by Sussex Police to effectively tackle knife crime in Brighton and Hove; if he will provide the resources required; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office continues to monitor crime levels and officer numbers. Many factors impact on crime levels. More reporting of ‘hidden’ crimes, recording improvements and some genuine increases in offending, have all contributed to recent increases in recorded crime.The Government is committed to recruiting 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years. Sussex Police will be able to recruit 129 officers in the first tranche of up to 6,000 additional officers to be recruited across England and Wales by the end of March 2021.The Government is also investing £100 million through the Serious Violence Fund. £63.4 million of this funding has been allocated to support an immediate surge in police operational activity. We have distributed this across the 18 police force areas experiencing the highest volumes of knife crime, of which Sussex Police is one. Using a tiered approach based on the rate of hospital admissions for injury with a sharp object, an assessment was made to determine the funding allocations required for each force.Sussex Police have been allocated £1.34m for surge operational activity, alongside £880,000 for Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) which will serve local communities by acting as central hubs for multi-agency collaboration that will seek to address the root causes of serious violence and deliver sustainable and locally informed solutions.

Police: Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time police officers were allocated to Feltham and Heston constituency in (a) 2019, (b) 2018, (c) 2017, (d) 2016 and (e) 2015.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded incidents of violent crime there were in Feltham and Heston in each year since 2015.

Kit Malthouse: 1) The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of police officers, broken down by Police Force Area, on a bi-annual basis, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesData at lower levels of geography are not held centrally. 2) The Home Office collects and publishes recorded incidents of violent crime at Community Safety Partnership (CSP) level. Hounslow is the CSP which covers the Feltham and Heston constituency. These data are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Police National Computer: Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Police National Computer holds information on individuals' immigration statuses.

Kit Malthouse: PNC does not hold information on the immigration status of all individuals. However, PNC is used to record people that are wanted for immigration offences or have been deported.

Undocumented Migrants

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been arrested for immigration offences as part of Operation Nexus in each of the last three years.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Prostitution

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the University of Bristol’s October 2019 report entitled The nature and prevalence of prostitution and sex work in England and Wales.

Victoria Atkins: The research contained in the report highlights the enormous complexity of sex work and prostitution today, and we will carefully consider the implications from this new evidence for policy in the Home Office and across Government.Our priority remains tackling the harm that can be associated with prostitution and sex work, and to target those who exploit vulnerable people. These priorities will be our starting point for considering the research.

Domestic Violence: Rural Areas

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle domestic violence in rural areas.

Victoria Atkins: Domestic abuse is a horrendous crime that we are committed to tackling. Whether it takes place in our rural communities or cities, we are supporting Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners as they decide how best to deploy resources in their areas.The new designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs will play an important role in monitoring the provision of services for victims of domestic abuse, including those in rural communities.

Human Trafficking: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship scheme will be rolled out across all regions of England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) are currently operational in one third of all local authorities in England and Wales.Government has welcomed the findings of the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which included a specific set of recommendations relating to the wider roll out of ICTGs. In-line with the Government’s response, published in July 2019, we are currently considering the Review’s recommendations on ICTG and will provide a further update to Parliament ahead of national roll out. The Government remains committed to the national roll out of ICTGs.

Guardianship

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to provide independent legal guardianship for separated, unaccompanied and trafficked children in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hate Crime: Emergency Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded incidences of hate crime were reported by staff in the (a) Ambulance Service, (b) Fire Service and (c) Police in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2018-2019.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to offer support service police officers who are victims of hate crime.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold information on how many hate crimes were reported by staff in the Ambulance Service, Fire and Rescues Services or Police.All hate crimes, whether against the emergency services or members of the public, are absolutely unacceptable. The Government is committed to tackling hate crime, through the Hate Crime Action Plan and we have asked the Law Commission to conduct a full review of the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislation.The Government takes police wellbeing and morale very seriously. That is why we have invested £7.5m in a new National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The NPWS was launched in April 2019 and has developed evidence-based guidance, advice, tools and resources which can be accessed by forces, as well as individual officers and staff. The Government also welcomes the work being led by forces to ensure the welfare of all officers and staff.

Hate Crime

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of police (a) numbers and (b) funding on the ability of the police to investigate hate crime.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office continues to monitor crime levels and officer numbers. Many factors impact on crime levels. More reporting of ‘hidden’ crimes, recording improvements and some genuine increases in offending, have all contributed to recent increases in recorded crime.The Government is committed to recruiting 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years. In 2020/21 the Government is investing £750 million in policing to enable the first tranche of recruitment. Hampshire Police will be able to recruit 156 officers by the end of March 2021.The Home Office is supporting the police to respond to hate crimes committed online through funding of £200,000 this year to the National Police Chiefs’ Council to run the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which assists the police to respond to reports more efficiently.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Birkenhead in relation to Mr Khalil Ahmad Husseyni, Case ID, 023703324.

Seema Kennedy: A response was sent to the Hon. Member on 1 November.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is aware of meetings that have taken place between the office of Wendy Williams and stakeholder (a) individuals and (b) organisations on the Windrush lessons learned review.

Seema Kennedy: We are aware that the review has engaged with a broad range of stakeholders as set out in the published methodology. As the review is independent, other than those publicly advertised, the detail of that engagement is not known by the Department.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date her Department will publish a timetable for delivery of the final report of the Windrush lessons learned review.

Seema Kennedy: Once the final report has been received, we will publish as soon as practicable.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times officials in her Department have met with the office of Wendy Williams.

Seema Kennedy: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Serious and Organised Crime Review

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether survivor support will be considered as part of the review into serious and organised crime led by Sir Craig Mackey.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether survivors with lived experiences of serious and organised crime will be consulted as part of the review led by Sir Craig Mackey.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the terms of reference for the review into serious and organised crime led by Sir Craig Mackey.

Brandon Lewis: The review will cover the powers, capabilities, governance and effectiveness of funding across the policing and law enforcement landscape, including the NCA and the wider justice system, and will make recommendations that should be delivered through the 2020 spending review to strengthen the SOC system.The review – the first of its type to consider what needs to be done across the policing and law enforcement landscape to improve our response to serious and organised crime in England and Wales - will be led by Sir Craig Mackey QPM, with support from stakeholders and advisors from law enforcement and national security. As the review is independent, we cannot anticipate which stakeholders Sir Craig will consult with as part of the review.

Abortion: Clinics

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to introduce national buffer zones outside abortion clinics.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of protestors outside abortion clinics on women attending those clinics.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is clear that it is unacceptable that patients seeking healthcare advice or staff working in healthcare facilities should feel intimidated or harassed. This country has a proud history of allowing free speech, but the right to peaceful protest does not extend to harassment or intimidating behaviour and the law currently provides protection against such acts.The Home Office takes the matter of protesters outside abortion clinics extremely seriously. That is why we carried out an in-depth assessment to understand the scale and nature of protests outside abortion clinics to establish whether more should be done to protect those requiring an abortion. The previous Home Secretary set out his position on 13 September 2018 through a Written Ministerial Statement. A link to the statement can be found here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-13/HCWS958.The Government recognises the adverse impact that anti-abortion protests can have on patients and staff, and the Home Office is keeping this important matter under review.Officials regularly liaise with national policing leads to assess if there have been any developments on protest activities outside abortion clinics. The Home Office would welcome any new evidence that becomes available on this important issue.

Proof of Identity: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in Scotland who do not have a (a) passport and (b) driving licence.

Seema Kennedy: Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold information on the number of UK citizens without a valid passport. However, I can confirm that there were 51,372,413 valid British passports as of 22 September 2019.We are unable to provide data on the number of valid passports issued to people in Scotland or any geographical region within the UK, as the data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold any information relating to driving licenses. For information on driving licences I would direct the Honourable Member to PQ 597 answered on 21 October 2019.

Northern Ireland Office

Homicide: Loughinisland

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2019 to Question 1562 on Homicide: Loughinisland, what the cost to the Police Service of Northern Ireland is of Operation Yurta excluding costs incurred by Durham Constabulary.

Julian Smith: As policing and justice are devolved matters, the costs for this investigation are matters for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and, as appropriate, the devolved Department of Justice. PSNI have advised that the estimated cost of this investigation to the end of September 2019 is £113,022, excluding costs incurred by Durham Constabulary. PSNI have also indicated that as this is an ongoing investigation, further costs will be incurred.

Northern Ireland Office: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Julian Smith: The Northern Ireland Office is committed to working with the Government Digital Service (GDS) to transform how it operates and is fully integrated onto GOV.UK. A Director is responsible for overseeing digitisation within the Department and ensuring that staff can make the most of technology.

Northern Ireland Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Julian Smith: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Northern Ireland Office are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Treasury

Financial Institutions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on introducing a statutory duty of care for banks and financial institutions to better support people living with cancer.

John Glen: The Government believes that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent conduct regulator for the financial services industry in the UK, is best placed to evaluate the merits of a duty of care for financial services providers. Earlier this year, the FCA published a Feedback Statement on its Discussion Paper on Duty of Care and announced that it will undertake further work on consumer protection, in particular by looking at its Principles for Businesses. The Government will continue to engage with the FCA as it progresses this work.

Small Businesses: Brighton and Hove

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of business rates on small and independent businesses in Brighton and Hove; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase the (a) small business rates relief threshold and (b) taper thresholds for that relief; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government has taken repeated action to reduce business rates for all ratepayers including small businesses. Reforms and reliefs announced since Budget 2016 are saving businesses more than £13 billion over the next five years. This includes making 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief permanent, doubling the rateable value (RV) threshold for 100% relief to £12,000, and raising the taper for properties with a RV up to £15,000. This means more than 675,000 of the smallest businesses do not pay business rates at all, which is over one-third of non-domestic properties in England.

Tobacco: EU Action

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to review track-and-trace arrangements to ensure that they comply with the FCTC Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products; and what steps he is taking to ensure that key roles in that system are not delegated to the tobacco industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Simon Clarke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for implementing the track and trace system and ensuring compliance with the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Since the system came into force on 20 May 2019 and there is a 12 month sell through period for unmarked stock, HMRC’s approach has been to educate and support businesses as they familiarise themselves and adapt to the new requirements. Strict criteria for determining independence from the tobacco industry is set out in Part 5 of the Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) Regulations 2019. If we leave the EU with a deal, the current arrangements will continue to apply for the duration of the implementation period. If we leave with no deal, we will suspend the current system while we develop a stand-alone system as quickly as possible and with the minimal changes necessary to the current system. This would include retaining the current independence criteria.

UK Trade with EU: Northern Ireland

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what technologies will be used to monitor trade flows over the Irish border after the UK leaves the EU; and whether his Department plans to introduce track-and-trace technology for at-risk flows of goods.

Jesse Norman: The new deal agreed with the EU ensures that there will be no infrastructure, controls or checks at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland; goods in Northern Ireland will continue to move freely into Ireland and the rest of the EU without any customs processes. In respect of the rest of the UK, the Government will continue to consider the use of technology-based solutions where these support the administration of customs systems or support traders to meet their obligations.

Treasury: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity. Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in HM Treasury are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on the BBC decision to change the eligibility criteria for free TV licences for people aged 75 and over.

Nigel Adams: The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State frequently discuss a wide range of issues relating to the business of the Department, including television and the media. The Government has been clear that the future of the over 75s concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not Government. In the 2015 funding settlement, we agreed with the BBC that responsibility for the concession will transfer to the BBC in June 2020; this reform was then debated and agreed by Parliament in the passage of the Digital Economy Act 2017. The Government is disappointed with the BBC’s decision to restrict the over 75s concession to only those aged over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit. We recognise the importance of television to people of all ages, particularly for older people who value television as a way to stay connected with the world. The Secretary of State met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC, and asked them to do more to help those affected by its decision.

Video On Demand

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her timescale is for responding to the Ofcom recommendations in the report entitled Making on-demand services accessible: What should regulations look like?, published in December 2018.

Nigel Adams: As part of a digitally inclusive society, television content should be accessible for all UK audiences. That is why in December 2017, DCMS asked Ofcom to provide recommendations on making on-demand services more accessible. This is part of the implementation of the new power given to the Secretary of State to impose accessibility requirements on on-demand service providers. Ofcom published its report in December 2018 and my department has been considering the report and engaging with stakeholders to develop the future legislative framework. We will set out next steps in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Nigel Adams: No one should suffer unfair treatment because of their gender. Every year International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the important work going on every day across Government to do this. The work ranges from the introduction of shared parental leave, which allows men to take time away from the workplace and bond with their new children, benefitting that crucial long-term relationship for both parent and child, to our programme tackling LGBT bullying in schools which seeks to protect those who may be victimised by outdated and stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a ‘real man’. Government is also working with local authorities to ensure their suicide prevention plans support more men, and in the Domestic Abuse Bill we propose to create a statutory definition of domestic abuse that makes clear men also can be victims of this abhorrent crime.

Arts: Free Movement of People

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect on the UK creative arts sector of travel restrictions after the UK leaves the EU.

Nigel Adams: The UK’s creative industries and arts sectors are huge success stories and the UK's decision to leave the EU will not change that. We have maintained a dialogue with these sectors on Brexit, and we know that the movement of people is a key issue for them; both for access to international talent and activities such as touring and collaborating. We understand also that the circumstances of individual trips to the EU are significantly varied, and that changes based on our leaving the EU will be different for each organisation or professional. We will continue our engagement to ensure a growing understanding of the impacts across the sector.

Newspaper Press: Regulation

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of press regulation by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

Nigel Adams: Since the report of the Leveson Inquiry was published in 2012, we have seen a fundamental reform of the self-regulatory landscape for the press, including the establishment of two new regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and IMPRESS. IPSO has established strong regulatory standards and codes for its members, and offers individuals a means of redress where these standards are not met.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who is responsible for digitisation in her Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Matt Warman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Broadband: Universal Service Obligation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on meeting the target to implement the Universal Service Obligation for broadband by March 2020.

Matt Warman: We consulted on the specification for a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) in 2017. DCMS published the outcome and response to this consultation in March 2018, and laid the relevant secondary legislation - the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 before parliament at the same time. Ofcom is responsible for implementing the USO. This includes designating a Universal Service Provider(s), setting and enforcing the Universal Service Conditions that apply to the providers (such as how quickly connections must be delivered) and establishing an industry cost sharing fund. Ofcom has conducted several consultations on the USO, and is working with the Universal Service Providers, BT and KCOM, as part of the implementation process that it is undertaking. Eligible consumers will be able to request a broadband USO connection directly from BT and KCOM respectively from March 2020.

Housing: Broadband

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that new housing developments have a broadband connection.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken since her Department's consultation on the standard of connectivity in new build developments to improve connectivity for new builds.

Matt Warman: Ensuring new homes are built with the future in mind, ready to accept the next generation of digital infrastructure, remains vitally important. My Department consulted last year on proposals to ensure that all new build homes have gigabit-capable connectivity. In the Queen’s Speech the government committed to legislate to mandate the installation of gigabit capable connections in new build developments. This legislation would amend the Building Act 1984 so that Building Regulations require all new build developments to have the infrastructure to support gigabit-capable connections. It will also require developers to work with broadband companies, and to contribute financially, to install gigabit-capable connections in virtually all new build developments, up to a cost cap.

Broadband

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including prospective premises in the Open Market Review that takes place prior to the procurement exercise for a new fibre roll-out.

Matt Warman: When an Open Market Review (OMR) data set is pulled together all serviceable premises which are eligible for funding are included. This uses a unique premises reference number, which is how the individual sites in a procurement are defined. This is allocated at planning permission stage so they could theoretically be included, however there would only be a benefit in doing so if the build timescales aligned to the proposed intervention of that particular project In the recent Queen’s Speech, there was reference to our intention to bring forward secondary legislation in relation to new build. If successful this would compel developers to work with network providers to make gigabit capable infrastructure available from day one. This would make the inclusion of these premises in an OMR process academic.

Social Media: Disinformation

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) the Information Commissioner's Office and (c) social media companies on preventing the dissemination of disinformation on social media during the upcoming election period; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Warman: Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with stakeholders on a range of issues, including the challenge of addressing disinformation, particularly in an electoral context. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

National Rifle Association

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held meetings with representatives of the Charity Commission to discuss the corporate governance standards of the National Rifle Association.

Nicky Morgan: I have held no meetings with representatives of the Charity Commission to discuss the corporate governance standards of the National Rifle Association.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of staff in her Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Nigel Adams: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in DCMS are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Leader of the House

Members: Juries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he has taken to establish a mechanism by which the Government takes responsibility for MPs' absence for jury service.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: The way in which individual Members of Parliament fulfill their responsibilities in Parliament is a matter for them, rather than the Government. There are established party processes in place for when a member is absent, such as pairing.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate she has made of the number of the Thomas Cook employees who have been made redundant in each region of the UK.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 21 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Jainism and Zoroastrianism

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by her Department in each of the last two years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department has invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.

Business: Disadvantaged

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps she has taken to support the development of businesses in deprived communities.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 30 October 2019



Across the UK, the Government-backed British Business Bank (the Bank) seeks to increase the supply of finance for smaller businesses and to reduce regional disparities in access to finance. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6 billion of finance to over 89,000 SMEs (as at June 2019). And through the Bank's Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) there is currently approximately £300mn of headroom available to lenders this financial year. There is also approximately £1bn of guarantee headroom currently available to lenders under the Bank's ENABLE Guarantee programme.Government has also supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs in England – one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area) – to provide a free, impartial, single point of local contact to all businesses, no matter their size or sector, to access advice and support across the public and private sector: in 2018-2019 Growth Hubs in England supported over 121,500 businesses. At the end of FY18/19, Government had invested £56.4 million in Growth Hubs that helped over 9,500 individuals start a business achieving an average customer satisfaction rate of 81.45%.Businesses in England can also access business support through GOV.UK, and the National Business Support Helpline.Since Budget 2016, the Government has announced reductions to business rates worth more than £13 billion until 2021.My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced a £3.6 billion Towns Fund, including £1 billion for an accelerated Future High Streets Fund. Last year the Government also made a number of announcements to support High Street businesses:cutting the business rates bills of retailers by one third until April 2021 for properties with a rateable value below £51,000;potential for up to 90% of retail properties in England to be eligible for the retail discount, worth almost £900m to businesses over two years; andpotential for retail discount to help a retailer save up to £8,000 off their 2019-20 bill. At Autumn Budget 2018, HM Treasury announced that the VAT threshold will be maintained at the current level of £85,000 until April 2022. The VAT threshold is the highest in the EU and the OECD. It keeps an estimated over 3.55 million small businesses out of VAT.

Post Office: Strikes

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of (a) Royal Mail Group and (b) the Communication Workers Union on postal workers' vote in favour of strike action.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers have regular discussions with stakeholders on a number of issues.

Small Businesses: West Midlands

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to support small business growth in (a) Sutton Coldfield and (b) the West Midlands.

Kelly Tolhurst: We are committed to ensuring all small businesses have access to the advice and support they need to start, grow, and scale up their businesses. The Government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) is there to make finance markets work better for small businesses at all stages of their development. The Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6bn of finance to over 89,000 smaller businesses. The BBB’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, the Programme has delivered over 67,000 loans, worth over £534m and 99 of these, totalling £857,912 went to small businesses in Sutton Coldfield constituency. All businesses can access core services, information and guidance on starting up and running a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, on our GOV.UK websites, and our Business Support Helpline forms a key part of the government’s offer to SMEs in England, providing trusted and joined-up information and sign-posting businesses to relevant sources of support. In 2018, it helped 31,500 businesses, of which 65% were entrepreneurs and start-ups. There are 38 Growth Hubs, one in each Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area providing a free and impartial, local single point of contact to all businesses, no matter their size or sector, to access advice and support from across the public and private sectors. The 6 Growth Hubs that encompass the wider West Midlands region have self-reported that in 2018-2019 they helped in excess of 10,864 businesses. Through three rounds of competitive Growth Deals, Government has invested over £9bn of funding, boosting national productivity and growth.The LEPs in the West Midlands region have been awarded Growth Deal funding totalling £1,080.2m and City Deal funding of £59.8m to invest in projects that benefit the local area and economy. This includes projects such as Universities@IBC where Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP has invested £2.49m to provide additional state-of-the-art enterprise space, extending the existing Faraday Wharf business incubation building at the Innovation Birmingham Campus. SME’s in the West Midlands will also benefit from The Midlands Engine Investment Fund, which is providing a huge investment of over £250 million. It will support small businesses in the Midlands to start and grow, it has now invested nearly £50 million into over 140 SMEs. We will continue to work to make small business owners more aware of the wide range of advice and support available to them.

Directors: Prosecutions

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the letter of 23 September 2019 from the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside, for what reasons it is the Government’s policy that it is rarely in the public interest to prosecute directors who abandon companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: A prosecuting authority must ensure that any proposed prosecution meets the tests in the code for Crown Prosecutors. They are:That there is sufficient evidence an offence has been committed;That there is a reasonable expectation that a conviction can be secured; and,That the prosecuting authority must be satisfied that if a conviction is secured the Courts will impose more than a nominal penalty. Abandoning a company as such is not an offence. A prosecution could only be for failing to file statutory documents: accounts or a confirmation statement. It is rarely the case that prosecuting the directors of a company that is no longer required meets the above tests.

Zero Hours Contracts: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Trades Union Congress on the effect of zero-hours contracts on the (a) income and (b) mental well-being of workers under the age of 18 in Scotland.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers and officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy engage regularly with trade unions on all labour market issues, including zero hours contracts. We were also pleased that representatives from the Scottish Trades Union Congress attended discussions with BEIS on the Good Work Plan in Edinburgh on 26 September.

Carbon Emissions

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish its plan for how the UK will achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Tackling climate change is a top priority for the Department. We were the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target and have already made great progress towards it. Since 1990 we have reduced emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%.The government’s Clean Growth Strategy and Industrial Strategy set out strong frameworks to deliver the target in a way that maximises the economic benefits of our transition to net zero. This includes building on our strengths in electric vehicles and offshore wind. In 2018, 1 in 5 battery electric cars sold in Europe were built in the UK[1] and we are spending nearly £1.5 billion out to 2021 to support the take-up of ultra low emission vehicles. The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity in the world, with 34% of global capacity[2]. At the latest contracts for difference allocation round, 12 renewable electricity projects won contracts at record low costs. The auction has delivered enough energy to power 7.2m homes by 2025.On 15 October, the Government published its response to the CCC’s latest annual Progress Report, setting out the suite of recent announcements made in support of our net zero target, and describing further actions that the Government will take to deliver net zero and meet our carbon budgets. These include plans for the publication in 2020 of an Energy White Paper, a Transport Decarbonisation Plan and a Heat Roadmap. [1] OLEV (2019) fast facts briefing; ONS (2019) Low carbon and renewable energy economy final estimates: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/datasets/lowcarbonandrenewableenergyeconomyfirstestimatesdataset (Updated 19/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen) [2] GWEC (2018), Global Wind report 2018, https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2018/, (Updated 16/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen)  last updated 07 May 2019 CED briefings

Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when she plans to put the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority on a statutory basis.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



The Government is committed to putting the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority on a statutory basis as soon as Parliamentary time allows. This will be part of an overall and comprehensive programme of reform taking account of the CMA’s findings and in response to what Sir Donald Brydon may recommend in his Independent Review on the quality and effectiveness of audit.

Office for Product Safety and Standards

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding was allocated to the Office for Product Safety and Standards; and how many staff were employed in that organisation in each of the last five years.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



This information can be derived from the BEIS Main and Supplementary Supply Estimates and the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts which are publicly available at the following: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-main-estimates https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-annual-report-and-accounts-2018-to-2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018 The OPSS was formed in January 2018 and its funding up to 31 March 2018 is not separately identifiable.

Consumers: Protection

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary for State of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse was of all departmental and non-departmental public body spending on (a) consumer protection, (b) product safety and (c) consumer enforcement from 2010 to 2019.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



This Government is committed to ensuring consumers know and can exercise their rights and that there is an effective system to enforce them when things go wrong. Protecting public safety is a priority for this government and stringent legislation is in place which requires manufacturers to place only safe products on the market. The Office for Product Safety and Standards was set up in January 2018 to provide leadership on product safety issues.  Year £M)Consumer [i]AdviceConsumer Advocacy[ii]Enforcement[iii]Product Safety2010-111.44.97.8N/A2011-128.53.98.72012-1315.82.74.72013-1410.83.714.82014-1510.44.214.92015-1611.04.214.72016-1710.63.714.40.672017-189.73.614.31.152018-199.53.614.28.46 It has not been possible within the timeframe to identify robust information on BEIS expenditure on product safety prior to 2016-17. [i] Telephone and online advice for consumers on general consumer issues. Increase in 2012-13 includes £5m in transition costs moving the service from Consumer Direct to the Citizens Advice consumer service.[ii] Provision of general consumer advocacy only[iii] 2010-11 and 2011-12 represents BEIS funding for specific enforcement projects such as Scambusters, Illegal Money Lending, Ports and Borders prior to the establishment of National Trading Standards and Trading Standards Scotland in April 2012 to deliver national and cross-border enforcement.

Consumers: Protection

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse has been of all departmental and non-departmental public body spending on (a) consumer protection, (b) product safety and (c) consumer enforcement to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



BEIS has allocated a total of £4.7m to Citizens Advice (including proportionate provision for Citizens Advice Scotland) to review and update advice provided across the advice spectrum, including consumer, to assist with EU exit. We have also allocated £0.4m to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute to update advice for businesses on consumer rights and training for Trading Standards Officers. On product safety, BEIS has spent a total of £3.1m in 2017/18 and 2018/19 to enable the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to prepare for EU exit.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people were recruited on to the Green Deal Apprenticeship Scheme.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It is important that our workforce is equipped with the skills needed to adapt to changing technological advances, including green technologies. Our reforms to apprenticeships are one of the ways that we are supporting employers to develop the skills they need now and in the future.New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry and there are now more than 500 different apprenticeship standards available, including plumbing and domestic heating technician, smart home technician and dual fuel smart meter installer: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/.Prior to its launch in 2013, there was consideration by Government and stakeholders of whether the Green Deal could offer opportunities for apprenticeships, and £3 million was made available in funding for Green Deal advisors and installers.

Carbon Emissions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK meets its renewed target of Zero Carbon emissions by 2050.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: Tackling climate change is a top priority for the Department. We were the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target and have already made great progress towards it. Since 1990 we have reduced emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%.The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy and Industrial Strategy set out strong frameworks to deliver the target in a way that maximises the economic benefits of our transition to net zero. This includes building on our strengths in electric vehicles and offshore wind. In 2018, 1 in 5 battery electric cars sold in Europe were built in the UK[1] and we are spending nearly £1.5 billion out to 2021 to support the take-up of ultra low emission vehicles. The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity in the world, with 34% of global capacity[2]. At the latest contracts for difference allocation round, 12 renewable electricity projects won contracts at record low costs. The auction has delivered enough energy to power 7.2m homes by 2025.On 15 October, the Government published its response to the CCC’s latest annual Progress Report, setting out the suite of recent announcements made in support of our net zero target, and describing further actions that the Government will take to deliver net zero and meet our carbon budgets. These include plans for the publication in 2020 of an Energy White Paper, a Transport Decarbonisation Plan and a Heat Roadmap. [1] OLEV (2019) fast facts briefing; ONS (2019) Low carbon and renewable energy economy final estimates: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/datasets/lowcarbonandrenewableenergyeconomyfirstestimatesdataset (Updated 19/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen) [2] GWEC (2018), Global Wind report 2018, https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2018/, (Updated 16/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen)  last updated 07 May 2019 CED briefings

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2019 to Question 5421, whether proposals for the long-term protection of pension bonuses for members of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme have been formally accepted.

Kwasi  Kwarteng: I have written to the Trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to confirm that the Government will agree to their proposals in full. This includes providing a guarantee for pensions that have accrued that could otherwise have been lost. I have instructed BEIS officials to work with the Trustees to implement the changes as swiftly as possible.

Personal Care Services: Qualifications

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging hairdressers to obtain hairdressing qualifications.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Hairdressing Council on the (a) regulation and (b) registration of hairdressers.

Kelly Tolhurst: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to the petition P002432, “The regulation of the Hair, Barber and Beauty industries”, 20 May 2019, Official Report, Volume 660, Column 6P.

Universities: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Marches local enterprise partnership has taken to support the New Model in Technology and Engineering university project in Herefordshire.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government’s awarding of Growth Deal 3 funding in March 2017 provided a boost of £21.9 million for the Marches area. Since the Deal was agreed, the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have been working closely with the New Model in Technology and Engineering (NMiTE) project. The LEP also provided development funding to the project to support the completion of the business case. A location for the first phase of development has been identified. The LEP have recently received a business case for the second phase of development, and discussions aimed at agreeing the next tranche of funding are ongoing.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of staff in her Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients, published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website.Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of its decision to ban gas central heating for new-build houses from 2025 on the UK's carbon emissions.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Buildings: Safety

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the expert advisory panel on building safety on revising Advice Note 14 following the increase in unsalable properties in tower blocks.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 21 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Welfare Assistance Schemes: Revenue Support Grant

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what he took the decision to roll local welfare assistance funding into revenue support grant; and what assessment his Department has made of the level of funding required to provide financial assistance to people in financial crisis.

Luke Hall: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Social Rented Housing: Insulation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of residential properties in England owned by social housing providers that (a) are less than 18 metres in height and (b) have combustible materials in the external walls.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Housing: Balconies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's Advice Note on Balconies on Residential Buildings published on 24 June 2019, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that housing providers have (a) made the necessary assessments for their housing stock on combustible material, (b) taken steps to mitigate risks and (c) adequate financial resources to improve standards.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff at which grades his Department requires to undertake work on leaving the EU without an agreement in the Departmental Operations Centre during standard daytime working hours.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 22 October 2019



A dedicated Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) will manage and lead preparations in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Staff working in the DOC will also manage work associated with the UK's exit from the EU in any other scenario. We do not routinely separately record no-deal work from other Brexit work. MHCLG’s normal operations include some out of hours working alongside standard daytime working hours.   To support this pattern, we currently estimate the Department will require approximately 200 FTE, using a mix of grades but coming mainly from HEO and Grade 7 staff. This estimate will be subject to on-going review to ensure it reflects any change in circumstances or requirements

Social Rented Housing: Regulation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the results of his Department's consultation entitled, Consultation on changes to the intervention, enforcement and use of powers guidance, published in June 2019.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 24 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Social Rented Housing: Tenancy Agreements

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people living in social housing have been denied the right to succeed a tenancy after the death of their parent(s) in (a) London and (b) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency in the 12 months.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 24 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Housing: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the fires at Samuel Garside House in Barking Riverside, Beechmere retirement complex in Crewe and Sherbrooke Way in Worcester Park, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of timber cladding in residential buildings.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 24 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities who have stepped in to remove flammable cladding from privately owned residential tower blocks.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 28 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Affordable Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed new national model for shared ownership on the level of affordable housebuilding.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 28 October 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Housing: Insulation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) tower blocks and (b) other residential dwellings with dangerous cladding; and how many of those properties have completed remedial work on that cladding.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Ms Lisa Forbes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to staff the Departmental Operations Centre in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Jake Berry: A dedicated Departmental Operations Centre (DOC) will manage and lead preparations in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The DOC has been designed to operate on a two shift system if required and we anticipate this mode of operation would be sufficient to effectively manage a no deal exit in the majority of circumstances. In the event a no-deal exit occurs and has a highly disruptive impact we would introduce three shift working to effectively manage a reasonable worst case scenario. The current estimates are that two shift working arrangement in our DOC would require 389 people and a three shift working arrangement would require 621 people. The DOC would be resourced through a combination of MHCLG staff and staff provided by other government departments.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking in response to the consultation entitled Powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments; and when he plans to implement the measures proposed in that consultation.

Esther McVey: Many of the measures set out in the government response to the consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised developments and encampments are being progressed or have already been delivered. These include £1.79 million awarded to 37 planning authorities to support enforcement activities and the publication of a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February (HCWS1305) on transit sites and intentional unauthorised developments.   Furthermore, in support of authorised encampments, local authorities can bid for funding for permanent traveller sites through the 2016-21 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme, along with other forms of affordable housing. The New Homes Bonus will match fund the additional council tax raised for new homes, including traveller pitches. Other measures still to be implemented by the Department includes strengthening policy on intentional unauthorised development.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to define dominance in respect of the proportion of Traveller sites in a local area.

Esther McVey: When assessing the suitability of sites in rural or semi-rural areas, local planning authorities should ensure that the scale of the development does not dominate the nearest settled community. It is for the local planning authority when assessing an application to apply this policy when determining if the proposed development could dominate the nearest settled community.The Secretary of State is in the process of preparing guidance to support authorities in determining planning applications for Gypsy and Traveller sites where the issue of traveller sites dominating the nearest settled community are raised.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph three of his Department's April 2015 Planning policy for Traveller sites, what evidential test is used to ensure that the interests of the settled community are respected; in what way the provision of Traveller sites facilitates the traditional and nomadic way of life of Travellers; and whether that way of life can be facilitated by (a) the provision of parking for caravans and (b) in other ways.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Land Registry is kept up to date in respect of land holdings on Traveller sites.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what procedures should be followed by which bodies when non-Travellers live on Traveller sites.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ground Rent

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of banning ground rents on the management of building (a) safety, (b) fire and (c) structural risk; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The government has consistently made clear that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. In line with usual practice, the government’s intention would be to publish an impact assessment on our leasehold reforms as part of taking primary legislation through Parliament.

Freehold

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the role professional freeholders play in managing building (a) safety, (b) fire and (c) structural risk.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for former coalfields and other less prosperous parts of the country has at least the same value as the EU funds it is planned to replace.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to reintroduce funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

Jake Berry: The government no longer has a funding relationship with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT), as our final investment into the organisation from 2010 to 2015 was designed to assist it to become self-sustaining. This will support the CRT to respond to needs and opportunities in coalfield communities at a local level.At the heart of the government’s commitment to places is recognising the crucial role of local leadership – such as the CRT - in directing investment to the priorities of their communities. In England, we have empowered communities to take decisions over investment by devolving over £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) between 2015 and 2021. We have also agreed nine devolution deals with core cities across England and introduced eight metro mayors. Furthermore, we have worked with devolved administrations and local partners throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to negotiate ambitious City and Growth deals, creating strong partnerships to deliver investment throughout the UK.We support organisations such as the CRT to discuss funding proposals with the relevant LEPs and Mayoral Combined Authorities, including for the forthcoming UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Wider responsibility for regeneration in coalfield communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland is a responsibility largely devolved to the governments of those nations.Final decisions on the overall quantum for the UKSPF will be made at a multi-annual Spending Review.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 229098, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation (a) spending to date, (b) by the end of 2019 and (c) by the time construction of the memorial commences.

Jake Berry: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation is an independent advisory body on which there is no spend from the public purse other than in staff costs for civil servant support which are not disaggregated.

Hate Crime: South America

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to combat hate crime directed at the UK’s Latin American communities.

Jake Berry: In the Hate Crime Action Plan Refresh we restated our commitment to working with the police to combat all forms of hate crime, including racially motivated hate crime such as that directed at Latin American communities. We fund True Vision, the online hate crime reporting portal, and encourage anyone who has witnessed or been a victim of hate crime to report it to their local police force or to True Vision. We have also asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislative provisions to explore how to make current legislation more effective.

Channel Islands: Monuments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a memorial to people who suffered under Nazi occupation in Jersey and the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Jake Berry: There are a number of memorial plaques to the people who suffered under Nazi occupation in the Channel Islands. We envisage that their story will be featured in the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster.

Local Government Finance: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, how much financial support Romford constituency has received from publicly funded projects and infrastructure investment over the last 10 years.

Luke Hall: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Social Rented Housing: Pets

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make it easier for tenants in rented accommodated to have pets.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Jake Berry: The Civil Service is striving to be the most inclusive employer in the United Kingdom, and it is driving a culture of inclusion across its departments, where everyone has a sense of belonging and in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, an environment where no one is treated unfairly because of their gender.To this end, there has been an increase in the number of “family friendly” policies driven across Civil Service departments, which allows men to take time away from the workplace and bond with their new children, work flexibly e.g. from home or from a hub, allowing men to become and active part of the “School Run”. In addition to these policies, there is a programme tackling LGBT bullying in schools which seeks to protect those who may be victimised by outdated and stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a ‘real man’.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is working with local authorities to ensure that their suicide prevention plans support more men, and in our Domestic Abuse Bill we proposed to create a statutory definition of domestic abuse that makes clear men also can be victims of this abhorrent crime.In 2018, MHCLG marked International Men's Day 2018 with our Women’s network hosting a panel event to discuss the key international Men’s day 2018 theme, under the headings:mental health and masculinity;the role of flexible working and integration in promoting gender equality; andshared parental leave.This year, our Deputy Director of Inclusion and co-chair of the award winning Cross – Government Race to the Top G6/7 network, Bernadette Thompson, is leading on a high profile cross-government event, working in collaboration with the Faith and Minority Ethnic (FAME) network in the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) targeted at the ethnicity/gender intersect, focused on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) men, who we know have a different experience and face additional barriers to their carrier progression as a result of this intersect.The conference is open to all men irrespective of grade in the Civil Service and the main purpose of the conference is to: showcase positive male role models from the BAME community; inspire, empower, encourage and motivate BAME men who are civil servants; and to build a cadre and network of BAME men across the Civil Service. The event will be opened by the BEIS Permanent Secretary, Alex Chisholm and the keynote address will come from Lord Woolley of Woodford followed by a panel of 6 men.

Help to Buy Scheme

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) projected annual net costs of Help to Buy from its inception until 2021-22 as set out in the original business case, (b) actual annual net costs from inception until 2018-2019 and (c) current estimated net costs until 2021-22.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Prefabricated Housing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment criteria were used to determine the distribution of the £38 million fund supporting modular construction; whether the assessment criteria and associated weighting were determined before applications were invited; on what date those criteria were determined; whether Ministers had a role in the selection process; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Planning: Fees and Charges

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to make an announcement on the uplift in planning fees; for what reason that announcement has not yet been made; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Social Rented Housing: Regulation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to create a new consumer regulator for social housing with powers for monitoring and enforcement.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Local Government: Ethics

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations in the report entitled, Local Government Ethical Standards published by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on 30 January 2019.

Luke Hall: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Buildings: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) council owned and (b) housing association buildings have received funding from the Government’s £400 million social sector ACM cladding remediation fund; and how many of those buildings have had such cladding replaced.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Homelessness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to (a) provide permanent homes to people living in temporary accommodation and (b) end other forms of homelessness; and if he will make a statement.

Luke Hall: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Housing: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, what recent estimate he has made of the total number of households in the UK that are resident in homes which are not fit for human habitation.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Holiday Accommodation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,  if he will take steps to help councils that plan to impose and enforce a 90 day cap on properties let out on (a) Airbnb and (b) other online sharing economy platforms providing listings for short-term lettings to implement that cap; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Religious Hatred: Islam

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she had made of trends in the level of islamophobia on the wellbeing of British Muslims.

Jake Berry: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Hate Crime: Islam

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of hate crime committed against Muslim women on the wellbeing of the Muslim community.

Jake Berry: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Buildings: Insulation

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many payments have been made from the Government's fund for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding; who those payments have been made to; what criteria has been applied to allocate that funding; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: We are providing around £600 million of funding for the remediation of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in high rise residential buildings in the social and private sector. We are pushing owners and local authorities hard to remediate unsafe buildings and we expect to see building owners take action. We have so far allocated £259 million to replace cladding on 140 social sector buildings. In the private sector we expect all eligible buildings to have applied to the fund by the end of this year. We will continue to maintain pressure on developers and building owners to do the right thing and get on with remediation. We will set out progress on remediation in the next data release on 14 November.

Universities: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Marches LEP released Phase 1 funding for the New Model in Technology and Engineering university project in Herefordshire in August 2019 given that Local Growth Fund 3 was announced in March 2017.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Marches LEP plans to release the £5.7 million of Phase 2 funding allocated by the Government for the New Model in Technology and Engineering university project in Herefordshire.

Jake Berry: The award of Growth Deal 3 funding was announced in March 2017 providing a boost of £21.9 million for the Marches area, aimed at helping to create jobs, support businesses and encourage growth. This tranche of funding was expected to deliver a number of projects, which included proposals to provide capital support to the New Model in Technology and Engineering (NMiTE) University project in Herefordshire.Since the deal was agreed, the Marches Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) have been working with the NMiTE project to refine their proposal, further develop their business case, and engage with wider stakeholders. The LEP also provided development funding to the project to support the completion of the business case.In October 2017, the Department for Education announced a further £15 million to support development of the faculty, campus and curriculum. Following this agreement, the NMITE project were able to develop their proposal further and in Autumn of 2018 a location for the first phase of development was identified.This was followed in October 2019 by LEP confirmation of £2.34 million investment to fund the transformation of a former school into facilities for Hereford’s proposed new university.The LEP continue to work with the NMiTE project as a member of their board and governance structure. The LEP have recently received a business case for the second phase of development, and discussions aimed at agreeing the next tranche of funding are ongoing.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Housing

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Jake Berry: The government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity.Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel have been seconded to Government Departments in the last 12 months.

Johnny Mercer: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Johnny Mercer: No one should suffer unfair treatment because of their gender. Every year International Men's Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the important work going on every day across Government to do this.The work ranges from the introduction of shared parental leave, which allows men to take time away from the workplace and bond with their new children, benefiting that crucial long-term relationship for both parent and child, to our programme tackling LGBT bullying in schools which seeks to protect those who may be victimised by outdated and stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a 'real man'. Government is also working with local authorities to ensure their suicide prevention plans support more men.Throughout the month of November, Defence is encouraging all personnel to take part in Movember to remind and support each other on important issues surrounding men's physical and mental health.

War Widows

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on achieving equal treatment for the 150-300 war widows who receive no war widow bereavement benefits due to remarrying or cohabiting between 1973 and 2005; and when his Department plans to make a decision on reinstating the full pension entitlement to that group.

Johnny Mercer: The Government recognises the unique commitment that Service families make to our country and remains sympathetic to the circumstances of those widows who remarried or cohabited before 1 April 2015. However, this is a complex policy area and it is taking time to carefully consider the potential options within both financial and legal constraints.The Department is currently considering how to take this issue forward. This work is ongoing, and any recommendations will have to first be agreed with other Government Departments.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department uses criteria to decide whether an international deployment of the armed forces is (a) combat and (b) non-combat.

Mark Lancaster: All deployments and situations are different, because of this it would be very difficult to create a defined list of criteria to cover every scenario. Missions can also change over time, for example a deployment to provide humanitarian aid could escalate to civil unrest and the military need to be able to quickly and flexibly respond to those situations.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the (a) prosperity and (b) economy of local areas in which armed forces are based of spending by (i) his Department and (ii) those armed forces in each year since 2010; and if he will place that information in the Library.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2019 to the hon. Members for Moray (Douglas Ross), Harrow East (Bob Blackman), Havant (Alan Mak), Angus (Kirsten Hair), Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch), Clacton (Giles Watling), West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin), North East Hampshire (Ranil Jayawardena) and Cheadle (Mary Robinson) to Questions 7761, 7715, 7772, 7783, 7723, 7790, 7738, 7794 and 7796.

HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the location for a new dry dock facility capable of housing HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Navy on the location of a new dry dock facility capable of housing HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of a new dry dock facility capable of housing HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth on (a) employment and (b) the economy in Portsmouth.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to construct a dry-dock facility for the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.Plans for a long-term in-service support solution for the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are under consideration as part of the Common Support Model for complex warships. However, on current plans, routine scheduled repair and refitting of the two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, other than dry-docking, will be conducted at her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth and will sustain jobs at that site.

Ministry of Defence: Wales

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the economy of Wales of (a) spending and (b) investment by (i) his Department and (ii) the armed forces since 2010; and if he will place that information in the Library.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2019 to the hon. Members for Moray (Douglas Ross), Harrow East (Bob Blackman), Havant (Alan Mak), Angus (Kirsten Hair), Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch), Clacton (Giles Watling), West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin), North East Hampshire (Ranil Jayawardena) and Cheadle (Mary Robinson) to Questions 7761, 7715, 7772, 7783, 7723, 7790, 7738, 7794 and 7796.

National Rifle Association

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the National Rifle Association's compliance with its charitable purpose to promote the (a) efficiency of the armed forces and (b) defence of the Realm.

Johnny Mercer: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Ministry of Defence: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mark Lancaster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK, and a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Ministry of Defence are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Mark Lancaster: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK, and a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Ministry of Defence are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Mr Alister Jack: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has no particular plans in place at this time to mark International Men’s Day on 19 November 2019.

Scotland Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mr Alister Jack: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to mark  International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Conor Burns: To mark International Men’s Day our diversity and inclusion team, in partnership with the Civil Service Race to the Top Network, will co-facilitate a positive BAME male role models event to inspire, empower and encourage staff. Also our Permanent Secretary will offer six speed mentoring sessions to male members of staff. Finally, our Gender Network will promote the day with a blog about striving for gender equality written by a member of our Executive Team.

UK Export Finance

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK Export Finance; and if she will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: As UK Export Finance (UKEF) celebrates its 100th anniversary as the world’s first export credit agency, it is building on along heritage of innovation. In 2018-19 UKEF underwrote the largest amount of business since 1991, providing £6.8 billion in support for UK exports. 79% of these companies were Small and Medium Enterprises. In the same period UKEF also made its largest ever transaction, with over a £5 billion package of support.  Earlier this year, UKEF were named the best export credit agency for 2018 by Global Trade Review and Trade Finance Global. The British Exporters Association has also recently commended the significant expansion of UKEF’s product range over the last decade. UKEF is well equipped to provide world class export finance to help UK businesses succeed globally.

Department for International Trade: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of staff in her Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Conor Burns: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK and a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/culture-and-community/civic-participation/honours-recipients/latest Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors.The numbers of honours recipients in the Department for International Trade are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals when they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Women and Equalities

Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: What steps the Government is taking to ensure that comprehensive mental health services are available for women who experience domestic and sexual violence.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

International Women's Day: Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much her Department has spent on celebrations for International Women's day in each year since 2015.

Victoria Atkins: From April 2017 to present, the Government Equalities Office has spent £3,199 on International Women’s Day celebrations. In addition, the GEO has taken the opportunity to promote IWD through our communications activity and through any events that happen to take place on or around 9 March. Due to historic machinery of government changes, GEO does not hold specific spend information for International Women's Day, for the years preceding 2017. Whilst the Department for Education will hold detailed records of transactions from 2015, it will not be able to identify International Women's Day spend.

Public Appointments: Females

Angela Crawley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the statutory objective for equal representation of women on public sector non-executive boards by 2022 in the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the implementation of that policy.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Candidates: Disability

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will extend access to the EnAble fund to provide financial assistance to deaf and disabled parliamentary General Election candidates to assist with disability-related costs in the forthcoming General Election.

Victoria Atkins: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 November 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.The Government recognises that disabled people are likely to face greater costs when seeking elected office due to their disability. That is why we launched the EnAble Fund for Elected Office to help cover disability related expenses. As an interim fund it gave political parties the time to put in place measures to support disabled candidates. The Fund is time limited and was put in place for elections that had been planned. Therefore, funding has not been scheduled for this election. Retrospective support, as with this year’s European Parliamentary Elections, could be considered for candidates but this would be for the next Government to decide.

Victoria Atkins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.The Government recognises that disabled people are likely to face greater costs when seeking elected office due to their disability. That is why we launched the EnAble Fund for Elected Office to help cover disability related expenses. As an interim fund it gave political parties the time to put in place measures to support disabled candidates. The Fund is time limited and was put in place for elections that had been planned. Therefore, funding has not been scheduled for this election. Retrospective support, as with this year’s European Parliamentary Elections, could be considered for candidates but this would be for the next Government to decide.

Department for Transport

Driving: Licensing

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what protections there are for drivers whose licences are revoked on medical grounds where the medical information used was demonstrably incorrect.

George Freeman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is responsible for ensuring that only those who meet the required medical standards are issued with a driving licence. The DVLA considers all available medical evidence before making a decision. If a driving licence is revoked based on the medical information, the DVLA will always consider any further information that subsequently becomes available. If this demonstrates that the required medical standards can be met, the DVLA will investigate and, where appropriate, reinstate the driving entitlement. Drivers whose licences are revoked on medical grounds also have the right to appeal through the courts should they wish to do so.

South Western Rail Franchise

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what change in the number of passenger miles travelled there has been in the South Western Trains/South Western Railway franchise area in the last 10 years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes data on the number of rail passenger kilometres by train operator, which has been converted to miles and presented in the table below. Table 1: Passenger miles on South Western Railway (billions), 2008-09 to 2018-19Financial yearSouth Western Railways passenger miles (billions)Annual Percentage change2008-093.32 2009-103.28-1.2%2010-113.434.6%2011-123.553.5%2012-133.591.1%2013-143.764.7%2014-153.872.9%2015-163.982.8%2016-173.980.0%2017-183.69-7.3%2018-193.751.6% Passenger kilometres by train operator from 2011-12 are available in Table 12.11 at the following link:https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage/ Historic data prior to 2011-12 is available in the ORR’s archived publications at the following link:https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180605092325/http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/previous-data/orr-archived-national-rail-trends-publications

Waterloo Station

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what change in passenger capacity there has been at Waterloo station in the last 10 years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Waterloo Capacity Enhancement programme has lengthened suburban platforms to accommodate 10-car length trains and provide an additional five platforms at Waterloo by bringing the former International Terminal platforms back into regular use. This has enabled an increase in seat capacity on trains at Waterloo. The Department for Transport (DfT) publishes data on seat capacity on central London arrivals and departures by rail on a typical autumn weekday. This data was first published for 2011 and the latest published data is for 2018, as presented in the table below. Table 1: Total seats available on a typical autumn weekday at Vauxhall (for Waterloo) 2011 to 2018YearTotal seatsPercentage change from previous year2011700,825 2012707,2180.9%2013707,1380.0%2014717,8481.5%2015723,4070.8%2016736,3701.8%2017737,7910.2%2018809,1669.7%Notes:Where a city has more than one station in the city centre along the same route, the seating capacity into the city centre is counted on arrival at the first city centre station the train called at, and the seating capacity departing from the city centre is counted on departure from the final city centre station the train called at. The seating capacity for London Waterloo trains will therefore be the total seating capacity at Vauxhall.For the production of DfT’s rail crowding statistics, some peak trains are also given a standing allowance to reflect additional standing capacity for shorter journeys. Standing capacity has not been included in the table above. Train capacity (total seats) for central London arrivals and departures by rail on a typical autumn weekday by station and timeband are available in Table RAI0203 at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/rai02-capacity-and-overcrowding

South Western Rail Franchise

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has allocated to the South Western Trains/South Western Railways franchise area in the last 10 years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Between 2008/09 and 2017/18 the department received net funding of £280m from the South West Trains/South Western Railway franchise area. This included £2.3bn in Network Rail grants offset by £2.6bn Premium payments to the Department. ORR data for 2018/19 have yet to be published.

Waterloo Station

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the capacity relief created at Waterloo station from the proposed crossrail 2 project.

Paul Maynard: Crossrail 2 could provide transformational uplifts in capacity, connectivity, and quality of life for those travelling into and across London from the South West Main Line (SWML). The scheme could help to ease pressure at Waterloo, potentially reducing national rail arrivals by more than 15% across the three-hour weekday morning peak.

Motorways: Safety

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the safety of smart motorways compared with that of motorways with a hard shoulder.

George Freeman: The Secretary of State announced on 24 October that the Department for Transport will carry out an evidence stocktake to gather the facts about smart motorway safety. This will include assessing the safety performance of smart motorways and conventional motorways with a hard shoulder.

Ledbury Station: Access

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in assessing the merits of allocating Access for All funding for the purposes of making Ledbury Station step-free.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: For the Main Access for All programme, we received nominations for more than 300 stations, including Ledbury, and in April we announced the 73 stations that would benefit from the funding. Unfortunately Ledbury was not selected as its comparatively low passenger usage made it difficult to justify its inclusion ahead of other busier stations in the region. For the Mid-Tier Access for All programme, nominations were required by 18 October but there was no nomination for Ledbury station. However, the Inclusive Transport Strategy sets out what we are doing to improve access across all transport modes, and we will continue to seek further opportunities, and funding, to make more improvements.

East Coast Rail Franchise

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the profits remitting to the Exchequer from the LNER direct operations of the East Coast Mainline franchise.

Chris Heaton-Harris: LNER generates a surplus of revenue over costs. Updated forecasts for this surplus are provided by LNER and reviewed by DfT each quarter. An element of the profit is retained by LNER for franchise development but the majority is remitted to Government in the following three ways: Premium paid to DfT which is a taxable costCorporation tax on the surplus less premium paid to HMRCDividends from retained profit paid to DfT The three elements are identifiable in the statutory accounts filed by LNER. The forecasts are commercially sensitive.

Department for Transport: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK. A breakdown of the ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/culture-and-community/civic-participation/honours-recipients/latest. Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department for Transport are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

USA: Diplomatic Immunity

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many requests by the US Administration were (a) made to and (b) granted by HM Embassy Washington DC for diplomatic immunity to be waived for (i) motoring and (ii) other offences by UK personnel and their families covered by diplomatic immunity in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Christopher Pincher: The diplomatic immunity of United Kingdom staff or their family members has been waived, in response to the below requests from the US Administration, over the last five years, in relation to motoring and other offences:YearDriving offences Other offences20192 2018 12017  20161 20151 Diplomatic immunity is governed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and in agreement with the host nation in accordance with its laws and regulations.All British diplomatic staff are expected to respect and comply with local laws. HMG's policy is that immunity should not be unreasonably maintained and may only be claimed in exceptional circumstances, such as to protect staff from hostile action from host authorities. We expect the highest standard of conduct from British civil servants, and their families, when serving overseas and staff are expected to answer to any criminal or civil charge brought against them.

Syria: Military Intervention

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to verify reports that white phosphorus used in attacks in north-east Syria originated from white phosphorus sales from the UK to Turkey; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of stopping white phosphorus sales under existing licences to that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The allegations that white phosphorus has intentionally been used against civilians are extremely worrying and it is important that the full facts are established. The UK wants to see a swift, and thorough, investigation by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria into these allegations. White phosphorus is not classified as a chemical weapon and is in itself is not subject to export controls, but it must be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. The Government is considering the licensing position in the light of recent developments in Syria and no further export licences for Turkey of items that might be used in military operations in Syria will be granted while we do so.

Sri Lanka: Power Stations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 30 April 2019 to Question 245704 on Sri Lanka: Power Stations, what progress has been made by the Sri Lankan Government on providing compensation to residents; and what assessment he has made of the (a) sufficiency and (b) effect on residents of that compensation.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the water pollution in Northern Sri Lanka caused by the Chunnakam power plant, what steps his Department has taken to help secure an independent international investigation into the (a) effects and (b) impact of that water pollution on the community resident in that area.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We are aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality. Staff at the British High Commission in Colombo raise the issue of water quality in northern Sri Lanka regularly, including during a recent visit to Jaffna in August.We understand that compensation has been offered to those affected by water pollution caused by the Chunnakam Power plant. We hope that the settlement will be adequate compensation for the victims of contamination, and that measures are taken to ensure clean water.A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka including the national water supply and drainage board have conducted tests and further investigations into the contamination are ongoing.

Ukraine: Human Rights

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Ukraine on alleged human rights violations in that country.

Christopher Pincher: We are concerned by reports of alleged human rights violations in Ukraine, including in illegally annexed Crimea and areas of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists. During, my recent visit to Ukraine, I discussed with Crimean activists the human rights abuses carried out by the de-facto Russian authorities.The British Government provides financial support to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which works to report and reduce human rights violations and abuses in Ukraine. We also support the work of Global Rights Compliance in Ukraine, which builds the capacity of human rights defenders to document human rights violations and pursue justice for victims of these abuses in Crimea.

Vitalina Koval

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Ukrainian counterpart on criminal penalties against the perpetrator of the violent attack on human rights defender Vitalina Koval.

Christopher Pincher: Vitalina Koval brought her case to the attention of Foreign & Commonwealth Office officials when she met them on 21 October, and discussed the issues of hate crime and discrimination faced by the LGBT community in Ukraine and a strategy to bring these issues to the attention of President Zelenskyy's administration.The United Kingdom is committed to pursuing a comprehensive human rights agenda in Ukraine, including LGBT and gender equality. This year, the United Kingdom is supporting projects which help the LGBT community to enact practical and legislative changes in Ukraine, for example by building allies and changing perceptions of LGBT people.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Christopher Pincher: GDS leads the Government's Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, helping departments build and run services that are digital by default and focused on the needs of citizens.The FCO makes use of digital, data and technology across its operations and diplomatic work. Examples include a small Digital Transformation Unit, which works with our consular technology teams on the delivery of modern, accessible online consular services, fulfilling the government's 'digital by default' commitment. The Department also has an Archives Management Team within the Knowledge and Technology Directorate who are responsible for the digitisation of public records in line with The National Archives' (TNA) requirements; and an Open Source Unit which leads on using open source data in policy making. To aid internal behavioural change, we established a Work Smarter campaign in January 2018, aimed at helping staff get the most out of digital technology, and we are working to set up the Digital Data and Technology Profession. A member of the FCO Board acts as the Champion for improving our release and use of data in all aspects of our work.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1, what criteria the Government uses to (a) vet and (b) screen Sri Lankan (i) public and (ii) security officials.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British Government has no role in vetting or screening public and security officials from other countries. However, we do carefully consider our engagement with institutions in the security and justice fields overseas. Any relevant assistance provided by the UK to Sri Lankan institutions is subject to robust Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments that analyse the potential human rights, international humanitarian law, political and reputational risks of any proposed assistance. This is to ensure UK assistance is in line with our values and is consistent with our domestic and international human rights obligations.​

Sri Lanka: Terrorism

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has allocated funding to train officials from Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK has not allocated funding to train Sri Lanka’s Terrorism Investigation Division.​

Sri Lanka: Diplomatic Service

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the British High Commission has invited Sri Lanka’s Chief of Army Staff to events at the High Commission in the last 12 months.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British High Commission in Colombo has not invited the then Chief of Staff of the Army, and now Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, to events at the British High Commission in the last 12 months.​

Sri Lanka: Sexual Offences

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) male and (b) female victims of sexual violence in Sri Lanka that are now in the UK will have a role in events for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative five years on that will be held in November 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British Government has been pleased by the level of interest generated by its decision earlier this year to host the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) International Conference Time for Justice: Putting Survivors First.However, as the conference would have coincided with the pre-election period, it has been postponed until 2020. We look forward to the participation of a wide range of stakeholders, including survivors of sexual violence in conflict.Ministers remain fully committed to realising PSVI objectives and strengthening the multi-stakeholder partnership that has been steadily built over the last seven years to tackle sexual violence in conflict, and pioneer a survivor-led approach​

Sri Lanka: Diplomatic Service

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) individuals and (b) organisations received disbursements from the British High Commission in Colombo through the Small Grants Scheme in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The British High Commission in Colombo no longer provides funding through the Small Grants Scheme. However, the High Commission supports a range of predominantly civil society organisations through the International Programme fund (formerly Global Britain Fund). In 2017-18 and 2018-19 13 organisations were supported through this scheme including Equal Ground, United Nations Population Fund, Centre for Equality and Justice, National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka , Sri Lanka Unites , Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Internews, Coffey International, Lakshaman Kadiragama Institute, Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections , Fokus women, Nuin Associates Ltd and Counter Terrorism Global Ltd.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) meetings and (b) discussions officials from the UK High Commission in Sri Lanka have had with Tamil community protests on (i) the resettlement of military occupied land and (ii) relatives that disappeared after being taken into military custody.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Officials from the British High Commission in Colombo regularly meet with Tamil community representatives in Sri Lanka to discuss issues such as land returns and missing persons, including meetings with representatives and families of the disappeared as recently as October 2019. During her visit to the north of Sri Lanka in October 2019, the British High Commissioner also met organisations and individuals active on these issues.The British Government regularly discusses human rights and reconciliation with the Government of Sri Lanka, including through encouraging the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. We firmly believe that this is the best framework for establishing truth and achieving justice and lasting reconciliation to ensure that all communities in Sri Lanka can live in peace​

Sri Lanka: Chevening Scholarships Programme

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many applications were received by the British High Commission in Sri Lanka for the Chevening scholarship; and what criteria were used to evaluate the applicants in 2018-19.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: For the 2018/19 application cycle, the UK received a total of 275 applications from Sri Lanka for the Chevening scholarship, of which 220 were eligible. Applications are evaluated against the four Chevening global assessment criteria of leadership and influencing, building networks, studying in the UK, and future career plans.

Sri Lanka: Administration of Justice

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding he plans to allocate to help promote accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the £10.75 million that has been allocated to Sri Lanka from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund over the next three years will be disbursed.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Post-conflict peacebuilding, reconciliation and accountability are key priorities for the UK's work in Sri Lanka. The UK has made a long-term commitment to supporting efforts to improve human rights in Sri Lanka and to help the country rebuild after decades of conflict.The UK has provided funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in Sri Lanka since 2016. The CSSF programme in Sri Lanka is designed to support reconciliation and strengthen democracy and the rule of law to ensure long-term stability. In 2019, it was agreed that the programme would be extended through targeted project activity in six key areas: peacebuilding, de-mining, policing, defence, corruption and cross party reconciliation.Further information on the CSSF in Sri Lanka can be found online at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/conflict-stability-and-security-fund

Sri Lanka: Crosby Textor Group

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether British High Commission staff in Colombo have held meetings with employees of the Crosby-Textor strategy group; and whether the Government has (a) allocated and (b) disbursed funding to support work by the Crosby-Textor group in Sri Lanka.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Officials from the High Commission in Colombo meet with a range of stakeholders. The British Government has not funded any work by the Crosby Textor Group in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Overseas aid

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to which (a) projects, (b) sectors and (c) regions the £7.9 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund monies allocated to Sri Lanka was disbursed.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK spent £8.3m of Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) funding over three years (2016-2019), on interfaith dialogue, reconciliation and police reform. Annual review summaries for the Sri Lanka programme are published on www.gov.uk/government/organisations/conflict-stability-and-security-fund.All CSSF programmes are subject to rigorous annual reviews, conducted by an expert team including at least one person who is independent from the programme.​

Palestinians: Press Freedom

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Palestinian Authority on the effect of the implementation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 on freedom of the press in that region.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK supports calls for greater media freedoms in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The evidence is clear: where journalists and media organisations are free to do their work, societies are more prosperous and resilient. Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem regularly raise the issue of freedom of expression, including the revision of relevant legislation, with the Palestinian Authority. Her Majesty’s Consul General in Jerusalem raised this most recently on 30 October. We encourage the Palestinian Authority to ensure the harmonisation of Palestinian laws with International Human Rights conventions to which it has acceded, in order to guarantee that freedom of expression and the generally free and pluralistic media environment are preserved.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the care needs of British children trapped in north-east Syria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The UK has no consular presence within Syria from which to assess the needs of or provide assistance to British children, but we carefully consider all requests for consular assistance on a case by case basis. The Foreign Secretary has made clear that the Government will seek to assist any British unaccompanied minors and orphans in Syria who are brought to our attention, where feasible and subject to national security concerns.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress the Government has made with international partners on tackling climate change.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: ​Tackling climate change in collaboration with international partners is a high priority of this government, as evidenced most recently by the Prime Minister's recent commitment to double the UK's International Climate Finance funding to at least £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26. Strong diplomatic engagement lies at the heart of the whole-of-government efforts required to tackle climate change, and Climate Change and Energy (CCE) work is a network-wide priority. Every Head of Mission in our global network has climate change diplomacy as a personal priority, and a priority for their Post.As the first G7 country to legislate for net zero by 2050, the UK is leading the world's response to tackling climate change. Our position at the forefront of international efforts to tackle climate change will be consolidated through hosting COP26 in Glasgow next year in partnership with Italy.

Climate Change Convention

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his UN counterparts to determine a venue for the COP25 climate summit.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Chile has made the difficult decision not to host the COP Climate Change Conference this year, taking into consideration the current circumstances in the country. The Government welcomes the UN's decision to hold the summit in Madrid under a continued Chilean Presidency. The UK is strongly committed to international action to tackle climate change, and we look forward to working closely with partners in the UN and across other governments at COP25.

North Korea: Diplomatic Service

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to locate the  former North Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom Hak Byong Hyon.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We are not aware of Mr Hyon Hak Bong's current role and have not taken steps to locate him.

Yemen: International Assistance

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on improving humanitarian access in Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In September, under UK leadership, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, Kuwait and Sweden, met and signed a communiqué reiterating the need to increase the pace and scale of the humanitarian response. The Group was clear that a political settlement is the only way to address the humanitarian crisis, but given the risk of starvation faced by millions in Yemen, the Group called on all donors to disburse promptly their pledges to the UN humanitarian response. It also called on the conflict parties to facilitate safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access in compliance with Security Council Resolution 2451. Our Permanent Representative to the UN also reiterated the need to bolster efforts on humanitarian access in her statement of 17 October to the UN Security Council.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: ​The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each domestic honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-.Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. The Government also publishes the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department are small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Iraq: Foreign Relations

Sir Desmond Swayne: What diplomatic steps he is taking to improve UK relations with the Government of Iraq.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government has developed a close bilateral relationship with Iraq, including hosting a successful visit by President Salih in July and ensuring regular ministerial contact since. I met the Iraqi Ambassador yesterday and spoke to Iraqi Foreign Minister Al-Hakim this morning. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Prime Minister Abdul Mehdi last month. In each conversation we have raised our concerns about the handling of the recent protests, urging restraint and proportionality.

Tax Avoidance: International Cooperation

Kevin Hollinrake: What recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on tackling international tax avoidance.

Andrew Stephenson: The Foreign Secretary meets regularly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss a broad range of topics.The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and evasion to ensure that everyone, no matter who they are, pays the right amount of tax at the right time.Since 2010, the Government has introduced over 100 measures that clamp down on tax avoidance and evasion and has secured and protected an additional £200 billion that would have otherwise gone unpaid.

Abur Bakr Al-Baghdadi

John Woodcock: What assessment he has made of the effect on the work of the Global Coalition against Daesh of the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The inglorious end of Daesh’s leader is certainly an important milestone in the fight against this death cult but as reports of a new leader emerge, it is becoming clear that it is not the end of Daesh. Daesh still poses a threat to the UK, our interests, values and people. We will continue to adapt and strengthen our efforts to prevent Daesh carrying out terrorist attacks, spreading its poisonous narrative, financing its wicked operations and recruiting supporters. We will continue to work with coalition partners to end Daesh once and for all.

India: Foreign Relations

Bob Blackman: What diplomatic steps he has taken to strengthen UK relations with India.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK’s bilateral relationship with India is strong and growing. It is broad, covering trade and investment, people-to-people connections, and being a Force for Good in the world. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Jaishankar on his first overseas visit, to ASEAN on 1 August, and the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Modi at the G7 in August. They agreed that we should expand ambition of trade relationship as we leave the EU. The Prince of Wales will visit India in November to celebrate the depth and richness of the UK-India relationship.New rules on post-study work visas announced in October will ensure we attract India’s best and brightest to mutual advantage.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations: Foreign Relations

Richard Graham: What diplomatic steps he is taking to strengthen UK relations with ASEAN member states.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: It is undoubtable that the ASEAN region’s political, economic and security importance is growing. As we leave the EU we are excited about deepening our relationship with all countries in Southeast Asia.The importance we place on this region is demonstrated by the fact that the Foreign Secretary’s first overseas trip was to attend ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ 31 July - 1 August, where he met all of his ASEAN counterparts, and my first overseas trip was to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand in September. We are committed to strengthening our relationship with the region in all areas.The first dedicated UK Ambassador to ASEAN was announced in October and our UK Mission to ASEAN will open in November.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Grahame Morris: What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of international co-operation on tackling climate change.

Christopher Pincher: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face today, and no country alone can solve the problem. That is why we bid to host the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow next year in partnership with Italy. As the first G7 country to legislate for net zero by 2050, the UK is leading the world’s response, and other countries have been following our example.

Diplomatic Service

Harriett Baldwin: What plans he has to expand the UK diplomatic network.

Christopher Pincher: The FCO is undergoing the largest expansion of its network for a generation. This will deliver on three priorities: Global Britain, EU Exit and an uplift to the Africa network. By 2020, we will have over 1000 new staff positions in London and overseas. We are opening or upgrading 14 new Posts and the UK will have a presence in all Commonwealth countries in Africa and a new Permanent Representative to ASEAN.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Food Supply

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to build food security capacity in countries at risk of food crisis.

Andrew Stephenson: Through its recent programme on improving agricultural and rural statistics, DFID has supported capacity building to collect statistics on food and agriculture in 40 African and 20 Asian-Pacific countries, including many at risk of food crises. In Africa, where chronic hunger and the risk of food security crisis are greatest, DFID is strengthening capacity of the Southern Africa Development Community and its 16 member governments to conduct vulnerability assessments and analyses, which are used to improve the effectiveness of the response to acute food insecurity. At the global level, DFID supported the development of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale perceptions survey which is now the primary way to monitor progress on the Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger. DFID programmes such as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme use this to measure the impact of interventions, and give the poorest and most vulnerable a voice.

Department for International Development: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: No one should suffer unfair treatment because of their gender. Every year International Men’s Day offers an opportunity to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved and to talk about some of the important work going on every day across Government to do this. Gender equality is a top development priority, and a top priority for the UK – but it will not be achieved without engaging men and boys. Too often men and boys are invisible in work towards gender equality, or portrayed as perpetrators, when they can be powerful advocates for positive change and survivors of violence themselves. DFID recognises that harmful social norms are the root cause of many of the challenges faced by girls and women, boys and men. In Pakistan, DFID programming saw levels of corporal punishment experienced by boys decrease by 26%. There were also improvements in gender-equitable attitudes and depression, and reduced reports of witnessing domestic violence.

Developing Countries: Females

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to advance the rights of older women in developing countries.

Andrew Stephenson: DFID’s Strategic Vision for Gender Equality underlines the need to focus on each stage of the lifecycle if we are to achieve our ambitions to leave no-one behind. This includes recognising the contribution of older women and considering them in efforts to empower women economically.Better data and understanding of the situation of older women is essential for tackling the poverty and discrimination they face. DFID is investing in improving collection and use of disaggregated data (by sex, age and disability) to enable us to empower and include those who are too often invisible or face additional barriers to escaping poverty, such as older people. For example, we have led the way on the Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan and worked with others to improve the international development system on disaggregated and inclusive data.The UK is also committed to shining a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of widows globally, including raising awareness of the discrimination and abuse often faced by older widows. At the Commission on the Status of Women in March, the UK helped secure the first ever United Nations-level recognition of the need to invest in adequate measures to protect and support widows.

Developing Countries: Older People

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that older women and men are supported and empowered and that their rights are protected as part of the Government's commitment to the Leave no one behind principle.

Andrew Stephenson: DFID believes that no one should face the indignity of extreme, absolute, chronic poverty, and as part of our commitment to Leave No One Behind, we will put the needs of the most excluded first. This means challenging the social barriers that deny people opportunity and limit their potential. Older people can experience a range of complex barriers and face multiple exclusions. They are more likely than any other age group to have disabilities. Social protection mechanisms can play a crucial part in supporting the economic empowerment of older people. For example, the UK has been proud to partner with the Government of Uganda over the last 10 years to deliver a Senior Citizen Grant. The programme currently supports 168,340 older people each year.

Developing Countries: Females

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to recognise, promote and support the paid and unpaid work of older women as part of its economic empowerment programs.

Andrew Stephenson: Through the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women programme the UK Government invested in research to better understand the care economy, and the interventions that will most help women to become economically empowered and productive. The Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women programme undertook 14 research projects in 50 countries and promoted the use of research by decision makers. DFID is commissioning further research in a new phase which will include a focus on women’s unpaid care work. DFID’s leadership on improving collection and use of disaggregated sex and age data seeks to empower older women (among other groups) to escape poverty. Our Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan sets out the steps we will take to work across the international system to develop tools, methods, and guidance on inclusive data. UKAid is supporting the expansion of social protection programmes to empower older people. For example, the UK has supported the Government of Uganda over the last 10 years to deliver a Senior Citizen Grant. The programme currently supports 168,340 older people each year.

Armed Conflict: Older People

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to support older people in conflict zones throughout the world.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK Government recognises that older people experience a range of complex barriers to access and are often excluded from humanitarian responses, including those conducted in conflict zones. The UK is firmly committed to ensuring aid reaches the most marginalised and vulnerable, including older people, in conflict and humanitarian crises.Without high quality disaggregated data, designing and delivering effective programmes and responses that are inclusive of older people is almost impossible. That’s why DFID was one of the first organisations to adopt the Inclusive Data Charter. In March 2019, we published an Action Plan laying out the next steps we will take to better understand the situation of the poorest and most marginalised in all contexts and make decisions that positively impact the lives of people at all ages.

Africa and Asia: Malnutrition

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans his Department has to introduce programmes to tackle malnutrition in refugee children in (a) Asia and (b) Africa.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is committed to supporting refugees and we remain at the forefront of responding to refugee crises. From Uganda and Ethiopia to Bangladesh, UK support is tackling malnutrition in tens of thousands of refugee children and young people around the world. Since 2015 DFID has reached 60.3 million people with nutrition services in 25 countries, including Bangladesh, Somalia, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Yemen. This includes supporting life-saving treatment for children with acute malnutrition, targeted nutrition support for pregnant and breastfeeding women and investments to monitor the severity of malnutrition to enable earlier action to prevent people dying of this preventable condition.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to integrate nutrition objectives into its resilience building programmes in fragile and conflict affected states.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45% of all child mortality and so effective prevention and treatment of malnutrition is critical for ending preventable deaths – a priority for the UK government as announced recently. Since 2015 DFID has reached 60.3 million women, adolescent girls and children with nutrition-related services, including in fragile and conflict affected states such as Somalia, Myanmar, and Yemen, and among refugee populations in Uganda and Bangladesh. This includes supporting life-saving treatment for children with acute malnutrition, targeted nutrition support for pregnant and breastfeeding women and investments to monitor the severity of malnutrition to enable earlier action to prevent people dying of this preventable condition.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of malnutrition on the (a) health, (b) resilience and (c) economic potential of populations in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Malnutrition puts children and mothers at greater risk of getting sick and dying. It also stops children learning properly and results in them earning significantly less as adults. This has devastating effects on health, resilience, and economic potential, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected states where malnutriton remains persistently high. We have therefore announced that the UK will step up its efforts to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns, and children.

Somalia: Malnutrition

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to integrate malnutrition prevention and treatment objectives into his Department's resilience programmes in Somalia.

Andrew Stephenson: The UK has been at the forefront of building resilience in Somalia since 2013 and is widely acknowledged to have played a leading role in preventing famine in 2017. Our current four year £64 million Building Resilient Communities in Somalia programme has fully integrated the prevention and treatment of malnutrition within the overall community driven approach and will contribute to improved outcomes for malnourished children. The programme is expected to support at least 160,000 women and children through malnutrition treatment and prevention services by 2022. Other donors are following our lead to build resilience in Somalia and break the cycle of dependency on relief aid.

South Sudan: Malnutrition

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to integrate malnutrition prevention and treatment into his Department's resilience programmes in South Sudan.

Andrew Stephenson: Through our livelihoods and resilience programming in South Sudan, DFID is working with partners to tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition. This includes: supporting households to diversify their income and food sources through crop and vegetable production, fishing and small livestock; working with traders to kick start markets; and supporting training that builds the knowledge and skills which underpin nutritious diets. These approaches complement the life-saving provision of food, water, nutrition products and medicine through DFID’s humanitarian programming. In addition, DFID’s Health Pooled Fund programme is improving access to nutrition services – both screening and treatment – as part of a package of life-saving care in 800 health centres across South Sudan. In the last year 480,000 children under five were assessed for malnutrition.

Department for International Development: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Andrew Stephenson: DFID’s Digital Strategy 2018 to 2020 sets out a vision and approach for doing development in a digital world. Its aim is to establish DFID as a global leader in digital technology and development, in order to have a bigger, faster and more cost-effective impact on the lives of poor people. Responsibility for delivering on the digital strategy is shared across different business units in DFID, including the Head of Emerging Policy, Innovation and Capability, the Chief Information Officer, the Head of Better Delivery Department and the Chief Statistician, co-ordinating through the Digital Data and Technology Steering Group. A Digital Data and Technology Delivery Board chaired by the Permanent Secretary provides strategic oversight and guidance.

Department for International Development: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK, as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity. Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Department for International Development are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Department for Education

Textbooks: Middle East

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department provided guidance to the authors of the Pearson Edexcel textbook, The Middle East: Conflict, Crisis and Change, before publication of that book.

Nick Gibb: The content of textbooks is a matter for individual publishers. The Department is aware concerns have been raised about this textbook and that Pearson has launched an independent review and will take action if necessary.

Teachers: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that training and support provided to senior leadership teams in schools situated close to where a terrorist attack took place is informed by the work of psychologists or trained professionals.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to ensure that training and support guidance provided to senior leadership teams in schools after a terrorist attack close to the school or homes of their students is empirically tested to ensure that it meets the needs of teachers and students; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the training provided to senior leadership teams in schools on how to support students after a terrorist attack close to their school or home is (a) appropriate to the (i) age and (ii) development and social understanding and (b) sensitive to the religious needs of those students.

Michelle Donelan: High-quality professional development is important for teachers and leaders at all stages of their careers to ensure they receive appropriate support and to enable them to constantly improve their practice. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, headteachers and teachers themselves as they are in the best position to judge their own requirements. We recommend that all Continuous Professional Development is underpinned by the 'Standard for teachers' professional development'.I also refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for School Standards, gave on 4 November to questions 7039, 7040, 7041, 7042 and 7632. These answers emphasised the department’s commitment to supporting schools and colleges in promoting good mental wellbeing, providing a supportive environment for pupils experiencing problems and secure access to more specialist help for those who need it, which can be especially important for children who have experienced trauma.These answers given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for School Standards, referred to the fact that, in November 2018, the department updated its advice on mental health and behaviour in schools. This advice directs schools towards information on how trauma and adverse childhood experiences, such as bereavement, can affect individual children. The advice also explains how schools can adapt their approach to support these pupils within the context of a school environment that sets clear expectations of behaviour and clear routines.Schools also need to be able to have access to specialist mental health support where pupils need it. We are taking forward the proposals set out in our Green Paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’. There are 3 core commitments that are intended to support local areas to support children and young people’s mental health as quickly as possible.The commitments will incentivise all schools and colleges to identify and train a Senior Mental Health Lead; to fund new Mental Health Support Teams (which will be supervised by NHS Children and Young People’s Mental Health staff) and the piloting of a 4-week waiting time for access to specialist NHS children and young people’s mental health services.As part of the Green Paper proposals, the government also committed to provide mental health awareness training for a member of staff from all state-funded secondary schools in England by March 2020. This programme is funded and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care. The Green Paper can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paper.The department works closely with the cross-government Victims of Terrorism Unit to ensure the guidance they provide is accurate and includes the most relevant, up to date material, including material from the Department for Health in relation to mental health support. The Victims of Terrorism guidance also includes resources for teachers to use in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident.

Children: Day Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the calculations used in rates for childcare funding in line with the Information Commissioner’s recent decision.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood to the answer I gave on 31 October 2019 to Question 6465.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect of the £60 fine per child or young person for unauthorised absences on the level of those absences and (b) potential effect of an increase in that fine on the level of absences.

Nick Gibb: Parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory school age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education either by attendance at school or otherwise.If parents register their child at school, the law places a duty on parents to ensure their child of compulsory school age attends school regularly.A penalty notice is a fine issued to parents for failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. The Parental Responsibility Measures Attendance census collects data from local authorities annually on parental responsibility measures issued to address poor attendance in state-funded schools. It is a matter for schools and local authorities to decide whether to issue a penalty notice for unauthorised term time absence.The Department has not formally assessed the impact of penalty notices, but comparable data shows overall absence rates have remained fairly stable across recent years, following a generally downward trend since 2006/07 (4.8% in 2017/18, compared to 6.5% in 2006/07).

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's press release, Prime Minister boosts schools with £14 billion package, published on 30 August 2019, when the £700 million for children with special educational needs will be allocated; and whether that funding will be ring-fenced.

Michelle Donelan: On 11 October 2019 we notified local authorities of their provisional allocations of high needs funding for the next financial year 2020-21, which included an additional £780 million, compared to their 2019-20 allocations. This additional £780 million will not be ring-fenced within the total high needs funding allocations to local authorities, which will rise to over £7 billion next year. The high needs allocations will form part of the dedicated schools grant to local authorities, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2020-to-2021.The dedicated schools grant is ring-fenced and has to be spent by local authorities on education in accordance with the regulations and conditions of the grant.

Pupil Referral Units: Walsall

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timescale is for the completion of the proposed rebuild project of New Leaf Pupil Referral Unit in Walsall.

Michelle Donelan: The New Leaf Centre is a local authority maintained Pupil Referral Unit. Walsall local authority is responsible for the building project, so the department is unable to confirm timescales. Ofsted judged the school as inadequate following an inspection in April 2018. As a result, an Academy Order was issued by the Regional School’s Commissioner (RSC) on 28 June 2018. The Forward Education Trust were approved as sponsor of the school by the RSC in April 2019. The department is working closely with the local authority and the Forward Education Trust regarding the site issue.

Schools: Finance

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the projected budget is for schools in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 academic years.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the projected annual budget is for schools in the (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 academic years.

Nick Gibb: The attached table shows the total value of the core schools budget each year.



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Schools: Finance

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the schools budget in cash terms in each year (a) since 1997 and (b) until 2022-23 .

Nick Gibb: The table below shows the value of the core schools budget each year since 2015-16:YearCore schools budget (in billions of pounds)2015-1639.62016-1740.12017-1840.92018-1942.42019-2043.52020-2147.62021-2249.82022-2352.2 The figures for 2020-21 to 2022-23 include the £1.5 billion per year that the Department will provide to fund additional pension costs for teachers.Changes to the school funding system mean that the Department does not have comparable figures for years before 2015-16.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average per pupil funding increase in each parliamentary constituency in 2020-21.

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the October 2019 national funding formula release, what estimate he has made of the average per-pupil funding increase in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 in (i) each (i) school, (ii) local authority and (iii) parliamentary constituency.

Nick Gibb: In 2020-21, the National Funding Formula (NFF) will ensure that every school attracts at least a per-pupil increase in line with inflation, with faster than inflation for most. Nationally, per-pupil funding is increasing by 4.2% per pupil next year. The Department has published provisional NFF allocations to show what each school is attracting under the NFF, and what each local authority will receive, per pupil, for schools in its local area. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2020-to-2021.The attached table shows the increase in funding that schools are receiving by constituency area.Local authorities continue to be responsible for determining final allocations, in consultation with local schools, and will inform schools of their budgets for next year early in 2020. While the Department has not yet determined school funding allocations beyond 2020-21, we have announced that funding levels will increase by £4.8 billion in 2021-22, and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20.



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Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether per pupil funding will be the highest ever in real terms in 2022-23.

Nick Gibb: The increases in school funding announced at the 2019 Spending Round will mean the biggest funding boost for schools in a decade. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies have gone on record as saying that this settlement will restore real terms per pupil funding to previous levels.This settlement also means that next year alone school funding will increase by 5%. This means that, under the national funding formula, every school in the country will attract at least a real terms increase in per pupil funding.

Teachers: Pay

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of increasing teacher starting salaries to £30,000 by 2022-23 on the recruitment and retention of teachers; how much new teachers in inner and outer London will receive in addition to that starting salary; and whether existing teachers will receive salary increases to ensure that their salary is above the new starting salary.

Nick Gibb: We introduced the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy in January 2019. This highlighted evidence demonstrating the need to take significant action on starting salaries and early career pay over the medium term to address recruitment and retention challenges. By raising starting salaries for new teachers to £30,000, we are increasing the competitiveness of the early career pay framework, and ensuring the teaching profession is positioned at the top of the graduate labour market.Our proposals include pay rises for all teachers, and new starters after 2022 will not ‘overtake’ existing teachers. London weighting will continue, providing a salary uplift for teachers within the London areas. These proposals will be put forward in our evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body. We have asked them in the remit letter to consider how best to design the overall pay structure, alongside the move to a significantly higher starting salary, to best support recruitment and retention to the profession. This evidence will be published in due course.

Children: Social Services

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked after children and (b) children in need there are by (i) local authority and (ii) parliamentary constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Michelle Donelan: The latest figures on children looked after by local authority were published in the local authority tables (Table LAA1) of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. The 2018/19 statistics on children looked after will be released on 5 December 2019.The latest figures on children in need by local authority were published on 31 October 2019, in the statistical release ‘Characteristics of children in need: 2018 to 2019’, which is available at : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2018-to-2019. Table B1 shows the number of children in need at 31 March by local authority (column S).The department does not collect information on looked after children or children in need by Parliamentary constituency.

Children: Social Services

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the initial Ofsted ratings were for local authority children’s services; and what the most recent Ofsted rating was for each of those authorities.

Michelle Donelan: The attached table includes inspection dates and Ofsted ratings for local authority children’s services under the previous Single Inspection Framework and the current Inspections of Local Authority Children’s Service framework. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the performance of local authority children’s social care services, with 48% of local authorities now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to 36% at the end of 2017. 



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Children: Social Services

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children were (a) looked-after and (b) assessed as being in need by local authority children's services rated (i) inadequate, (ii) requires improvement, (iii) good and (iv) outstanding in each year since 1997.

Michelle Donelan: This is a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my right hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Children: Social Services

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of ending independent inspections of local authority children's services on the effectiveness of the safeguarding of young people by those services.

Michelle Donelan: A uniquely independent and balanced assessment of all local authority children’s social care departments is provided by Ofsted and, as such, the inspectorate is an important driver of standards and accountability in the system. Where Ofsted inspectors use their powers to take a focussed look at the lived experience of children in a given area, and find a local authority is failing (‘inadequate’) to protect children or promote their welfare, the government is then able to take quick and decisive action to intervene and make services safe as quickly and decisively as possible. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the performance of local authority children’s social care services, with 48% of local authorities now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to 36% at the end of 2017.

Private Education: Children in Care

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked after children and (b) children in need are on the roll of independent schools.

Michelle Donelan: 3,372 looked after children were on the roll of independent schools in January 2019, according to the most recent School Level Annual School Census figures. Through our Board School Partnerships initiative, we are encouraging local authorities to be more proactive in this field.The department does not collect information in the school census on the number of children in need in independent schools.

Education: Standards

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were in (a) early years settings, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools and (d) further education rated (i) inadequate, (ii) requires improvement, (iii) good and (iv) outstanding by Ofsted in each year since 1997.

Nick Gibb: The information detailed below on early years settings, primary and secondary schools, and further education is available. The latest Ofsted data for early years settings cover the period from 2011-2014 and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-providers-and-inspections-as-at-31-march-2019.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/official-statistics-early-years-and-childcare-registered-providers-inspections-and-outcomes.The Department for Education only collects data on the number of children benefiting from free funded early education and holds no data on all children in early years settings. The latest Ofsted data on Primary and Secondary school inspection data (which covers the period from 2010-2019) can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-official-statistics.Ofsted changed their methodology in 2018 and the latest statistics are based on the new methodology. Information on the changes made can be found here :https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/changes-to-ofsteds-statistical-reporting-of-inspection-outcomes-for-state-funded-schools-an-analysis-of-the-changes. The latest Ofsted data on the further education inspection ratings (covering the period from 2013 to 2019) can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-inspection-outcomes. Due to differences between the data sets of each area, and the time scales covered, data since 1997 for each area requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Education: Standards

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has been made of the effect on school standards of removing independent, national assessments by OFSTED of school standards and safeguarding on (a) provision (b) primary schools (c) secondary schools and (d) further education provision.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted is the only body able to provide an independent, rounded judgement of schools, further education provision, and early years settings. This role has helped to raise standards in our schools with 87% of primary schools and 75% of secondary schools rated good or outstanding, compared to 67% and 64% respectively in 2010. Currently, 82% further education and skills providers are judged good or outstanding, compared to 64% in 2012. Currently, 95% of early years providers are rated good or outstanding, compared to 74% in 2012.Ofsted also plays an important role in safeguarding for early years, schools and further education provision. As part of the overall effectiveness judgement, inspectors will always make a written judgement about the effectiveness of the arrangements for safeguarding children and pupils.

Children: Day Care

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual cost to the public purse would be of the provision of 30 hours free childcare a week to (a) 0 to 1 year-olds (b) 1 to 2 year-olds (c) 2 to 3 year-olds, (d) 3 and 4 year-olds; and what assessment he has made of the capacity of nurseries to extend childcare provision to each of those age groups.

Nick Gibb: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Children: Day Care

Mr Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of extending the current system of 15 hours of free childcare for all three and four year olds to include an additional 15 hours for three and four year olds whose parents are in work.

Nick Gibb: Since September 2017, 3- and 4-year old children of working parents have been able to access an additional 15 hours free childcare, on top of the universal 15 hours entitlement. Details of this expenditure can be found in the Dedicated Schools Grant Allocations tables, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020.

Schools: Harborough

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to each (a) primary and (b) secondary school in Harborough constituency in 2017-18; and how much funding will be allocated in 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: Prior to the introduction of the National Funding Formula (NFF) in 2018-19, the Government allocated school funding at local authority level only, not at school level. The funding allocated to each school in 2017-18 by local authorities can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-block-funding-allocations-2017-to-2018. For 2020-21, the Department has published provisional school level allocations based on what they attract under the NFF, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs-2020-to-2021. The provisional allocations for Harborough can be found in the attached table. Local authorities continue to be responsible for determining final allocations, in consultation with local schools, and will inform schools of their budgets for 2020/2021 early next year. The Government has committed in future to deliver funding directly to schools through our single national formula, rather than local formulae set independently by each local authority.



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Private Education: Admissions

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children attend an independent school in each (a) local authority and (b) constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils there were at each independent school in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will publish the name and address of each of those schools.

Michelle Donelan: The department publishes figures on the number of independent schools and pupils attending them in the annual 'Schools, Pupils and Characteristics' release. Figures for the national and local authority levels are provided in tables 1a, 1b and 1c of the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2019.The underlying data file includes figures for individual schools including school name, school type, parliamentary constituency and location. Full addresses can be found at the Get Information About Schools website here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.The Oxford Analytics October 2018 report, 'The Impact of Independent Schools on the UK Economy', estimated that independent schools provide an annualised taxpayer cost saving of £3.5 billion, compared to the cost of educating all pupils in the state sector.

Private Education: Admissions

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children are registered as attending an independent school in each (a) local authority area and (b) constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent schools there are in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency; how many children there are at each of those schools; and what the names and addresses are of each of those schools.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent special schools there are in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Michelle Donelan: The department publishes figures on the number of independent schools and pupils attending them in the annual ‘Schools, Pupils and Characteristics’ release, by national totals and by local authority in tables 1a, 1b, and 1c, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2019.The underlying data file includes figures for individual schools including school name, school type, parliamentary constituency and location. Full addresses can be found at the Get Information About Schools website, available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.The Oxford Analytics October 2018 report, 'The Impact of Independent Schools on the UK Economy' estimated that independent schools provide an annualised taxpayer cost saving of £3.5 billion, compared to the cost of educating all pupils in the state sector.

Pupils: EU Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children from countries of the sixth enlargement of the EU were enrolled in schools in the first (a) five and (b) 10 years after those countries joined the EU; how many of those children were (i) primary school aged, (ii) secondary school aged and (iii) early years; and what the average cost to the public purse per child was in each of those settings since the sixth enlargement of the EU.

Nick Gibb: Information about how many children from countries of the sixth enlargement of the EU who were enrolled in schools in the first (a) five and (b) 10 years after those countries joined the EU is only partially available (in an uncalculated format) and calculation of overall figures based even on partial data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Admissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an estimate of the number of children enrolling in schools in England in the event of extending freedom of movement to nations including (a) Morocco, (b) Switzerland, (c) Norway, (d) Turkey, (e) North Macedonia, (f) Bosnia, (g) Serbia, (h) Kosovo, (i) Albania and (j) Iceland.

Nick Gibb: Freedom of movement is already extended to Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. For Norway and Iceland, this is because they are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) and for Switzerland, this is because it is part of the single market. Regarding the other countries mentioned, no estimates have been made in relation to the possible scenario described.

Private Education: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2019 to Question 284 on Private Education: West Midlands, how many people are employed by the unit on promoting cross-sector partnerships (a) in total and (b) at each civil service grade.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2019 to Question 284 on Private Education: West Midlands, how many people employed by the unit on promoting cross-sector partnerships attended (a) an independent secondary school and (b) a state secondary school.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 284 on Private Education: West Midlands, how many people who are employed by the unit on promoting cross-sector partnerships attended (a) a selective secondary school (b) a non-selective secondary school in the (i) state and (ii) independent education sector.

Michelle Donelan: The System Partnerships Unit (SPU) works across several policy and regional delivery teams within the Department. There are two central SPU staff members, within Departmental policy teams, at Grade 7 and SEO, although they also have other non-SPU related duties. In order to protect individuals’ personal information, the Department can not disclose information on educational background. In addition to the central staff, there are delivery leads in each of the eight Regional School Commissioner (RSC) regions who have a wide range of school improvement duties, of which supporting partnerships is one part. As such, they are employed by the RSCs rather than as part of a central unit.

Private Education: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 Question 284 on Private Education: West Midlands, what the value is of the cross-sector partnerships grant.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2019 to Question 284 on Private Education: West Midlands, how many applications for the cross-sector partnerships grant there have been for (a) independent school-non-selective state school partnerships and (b) independent school-selective state school partnerships.

Michelle Donelan: The total planned value of the cross-sector partnerships grant is £219,500. The Department is currently inviting bids and schools have been asked to submit proposals by 3pm on 29 November 2019. As the bidding window is still open, the Department is unable to publish the number or type of applications received. Future decisions about the award of the grant will be taken by ministers post-election.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Theft

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of major property thefts from Churches in the last five years.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Holding answer received on 04 November 2019



The Church of England does not hold data on thefts centrally, but it is kept by local police forces, Historic England and the insurance industry.The most prominent form of property theft from churches is that of metal (mainly lead from roofs) and of historic building materials such as flagstones. These are items with a high resale value and which, once removed, can be difficult to identify as coming from a particular place. Because of the largely historic nature of the buildings targeted these thefts are counted as heritage crime. This issue does not just affect churches; it is so widespread that it is the subject of a joint project and Memorandum of Understanding signed by the National Police Chiefs' Council, the Crown Prosecution Service, Historic England and a growing number of local authorities, community safety partnerships and National Park Authorities. It is an agreement to work in partnership with each other to prevent and solve crimes against historic places.The Church of England is an active partner in identifying and tackling heritage crime, especially metal theft. The church is part of Operation Crucible, the police-led initiative investigating metal theft, and it has become clear over recent years that this form of criminal behaviour is now being undertaken by organised gangs. The earlier changes to the law did initially lead to a drop in reported incidences, but recently the issue has again become more widespread. The Church of England submitted evidence to the review of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act in 2017 asking the Government to tighten up the Act to better reflect the changing behaviour of both the scrap metal trade and the organised criminal activity.Due to the highly mobile nature of this form of organised criminal activity and without increased resource, it is hard to see how police and heritage crime officers will be able to address the increase in thefts we are seeing across the country. Thefts are moving gradually west and north along the major transport routes. This year the Church has had the first reports of metal and stone theft in the Bath & Wells Diocese and in the Yorkshire Dioceses. Tightening up of the law, therefore, needs to be accompanied by increased police resources and greater political will.Parish churches are maintained by volunteers on behalf of the local community. Aside from the financial impact of these thefts, the impact on communities is significant. The social and community impact of the crime, as well as the criminal damage to listed buildings, needs to be addressed at sentencing, as even the theft of small amounts of lead or stone cost has a huge impact on local people. These buildings represent our country’s local and national heritage. Due to the highly mobile nature of criminal gangs, it is essential that police and local churches work together to ensure that heritage crime does not become a decreasing priority for police forces.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: UK Trade with EU

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118358 on Agricultural Products: UK Trade With EU, what progress her Department has made on developing the UK’s system for the management of agri-food imports and exports with EU countries.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Nitrogen: Solent

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of nitrogen levels in the Solent; and what assessment she has made of the effect of nitrogen in the Solent on the growth of green algae in that area.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of eutrophication in the Solent area on protected habitats and bird species in that region.

Rebecca Pow: Both Natural England (NE) and the Environment Agency (EA) have a role in assessing water quality and its impacts on designated sites. The EA has used its monitoring and evidence to undertake modelling of nitrogen sources in the Solent area. This shows that, on average, about 50% of nitrogen sources impacting coastal and estuarine waters in the Solent come from agriculture and about 10% from sewage treatment works. NE’s site condition assessments consider a range of different environmental features and are therefore undertaken as an ongoing process, rather than a one-off undertaking. Through their site condition assessment work, NE has concluded that the Solent is in unfavourable condition because of the high levels of nutrients, which are causing excessive growth of algae, particularly green species of macroalgae. Proliferation of these green macroalgal mats can be detrimental to ecology, including birds. Several of the Solent’s estuaries are affected in this way and work has been ongoing for many years to reduce inputs of nitrogen and hence reduce macroalgal mats. This has primarily been through tackling diffuse agricultural sources and improvements to sewage treatment works on both the coast and within the river catchments which feed into the Solent.

Fisheries

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that industrial fishing vessels operating off the UK coast (a) comply with environmental standards and (b) use fishing methods that do not present a risk to (i) dolphins and (b) other marine life; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has robust control and enforcement systems in place to monitor and enforce compliance with the full range of fisheries and environmental regulations. The MMO uses inspections at sea and in port to assure compliance by individual fishing vessels on key measures including those governing types and size of fishing gear. Technology, combined with intelligence-gathering, is used daily to ensure vessels do not fish illegally in protected areas where marine life could be adversely impacted by fishing activities. We are committed to protecting vulnerable marine species such as dolphins and seabirds in UK waters. We are currently developing plans and implementing regional measures, in close collaboration with the fishing industry, to reduce bycatch of these iconic species.

Fisheries

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect UK fish stocks from over-fishing after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The UK Government remains fully committed to sustainable fisheries management and the principle of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This will not change once we are outside the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy. We will continue to work with other coastal states in partnership to sustainably manage shared stocks. The Government will be reintroducing a Fisheries Bill, which will provide a framework to enable us to continue to push for more stocks being fished at MSY and delivering our ambition for sustainable fishing in the future. The first clause of this Bill will enact several sustainability objectives, one of which is to restore fish stocks to levels capable of producing MSY. The Bill will create a binding duty on the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to produce a statutory Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). This statement must include policies for the achievement of the sustainability objectives, including on MSY. We will take back control of our waters ensuring that they are fished sustainably. In England, Defra has worked with the Marine Management Organisation to assess the risk of increased illegal fishing when the UK leaves the EU and strengthened our control and enforcement resources accordingly. We are also working closely with the Devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure a coordinated approach to fisheries control and enforcement across UK waters.

Food Supply

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of valuing food security as a public good.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Agriculture

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps will she take to ensure farmers are supported in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: As a responsible Government, we have been working to minimise any disruption to farmers in the event of a no deal. We have made it clear that we will support vulnerable sectors through Government intervention in a no deal, should this be necessary, and we have contingency plans in place. We will be monitoring the sectors which may be exposed to short-term difficulties as a result of EU withdrawal closely to identify early signs of market disturbance, allowing us to intervene swiftly if necessary.

Noise: East Hampshire

Mr Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where Noise Important Areas (NIAs) have been identified in East Hampshire constituency; and what plans he has for updating the identification of NIAs.

Rebecca Pow: Detailed strategic maps showing noise levels for road noise and rail sources, as well as Noise Important Areas (NIAs) and exposure data across England, are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-noise-mapping-2019. This data is searchable by location. NIAs are currently defined as the areas where the 1% of the population affected by the highest noise levels from roads and railways are located according to the results of the strategic noise mapping. The noise maps and action plans published in July 2019 remain in place for five years. As we prepare for the next round of noise mapping and action planning, we intend to consider whether the metrics currently used to identify Important Areas could be improved.

Air Pollution: Sutton Coldfield

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve air quality in Sutton Coldfield.

Rebecca Pow: Air quality is a threat to public health and more needs to be done to improve it. That is why we have put in place a £3.5 billion plan to reduce harmful emissions from road transport, and published the Clean Air Strategy which focuses on broader emissions beyond road transport and which aims to cut air pollution and save lives.Local authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing local air quality and must take action in the event of exceedances in pollution concentration limits. The Environment Bill includes measures to improve air quality which will ensure that local authorities have a clear framework, and simple to use powers, to tackle air pollution.The Government is taking a strong national leadership role in improving air quality and provides financial and expert support to local authorities to develop innovative plans to tackle local air pollution. Defra and the Department for Transport’s Joint Air Quality Unit has been working with local authorities including Birmingham City Council to tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances.

Motorcycles: Exhaust Emissions

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department uses in respect of motorcycle emissions of NOx; how the practice of filtering is reflected in the emissions modelling that her Department uses; and if she will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The method for estimating emissions from road transport, including powered two wheelers, is available in the latest National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory’s (NAEI) informative inventory report: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1904121008_GB_IIR_2019_v2.0.pdf. It uses the internationally recognised COPERT methodology produced by Emisia and if the abatement technology is already incorporated in the emission factor, then it will be reflected in the emissions estimates. Emission factors are presented in the EMEP/EEA Guidebook. The NAEI results for 2017 show that motorcycles and mopeds account for less than 0.5% of road traffic NOx emissions. The NAEI is subject to rigorous international reviews and has a continuous improvement programme to incorporate the latest available evidence.

Nitrogen Oxides

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the primary source of NOx is in the UK.

Rebecca Pow: The latest estimates made of annual pollutant emissions in the UK show that road transport accounts for 32% of NOx emissions, followed by emissions from energy generation (21%) and emissions from manufacturing and construction (17%). Further information on the UK’s air pollutant emissions can be found on the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory website: https://naei.beis.gov.uk/. Information is also reported in the UK emissions statistical release:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778483/Emissions_of_air_pollutants_1990_2017.pdf.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

LIFE Programme

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to replace EU LIFE funding for projects such as the Little Tern Recovery Project at Pagham Harbour after the UK leaves the EU.

Rebecca Pow: Projects funded under the L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement (LIFE) programme have played an important role in helping to implement environment policy in the UK. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan makes clear that public funding will continue to play an important role in protecting and enhancing our natural environment. Securing a negotiated exit from the EU would ensure that UK organisations could continue to access LIFE funding until the end of 2020. The UK Government has guaranteed to underwrite the funding for agreed LIFE projects led by UK organisations in the event of the funding from the EU stopping in a ‘no deal’ exit. Once the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU are clear, we will decide as part of the next multi-year Spending Review, whether the UK will seek to associate with the LIFE programme as a third country or whether domestic arrangements should be established.

Tree Planting

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase the number of trees planted in (a) the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, (b) the North West and (c) the UK.

Zac Goldsmith: Forestry is a devolved matter. Since 2010 the Government has planted just over 15 million trees, or nearly 13,000 hectares of new woodland in England. In this Parliament over 4.1 million trees have been planted, and we are on track to meet our targets to plant 11 million trees and a further 1 million trees in and around our towns and cities. The Government is investing £5.7 million to kick-start the development of the Northern Forest, led by a partnership of the Community Forests and the Woodland Trust. Specifically, this will fund the planting of at least 1.8 million new trees across the Northern Forest by 2022, and help the partnership develop approaches to achieve their longer-term vision of 50 million trees planted over the next 25 years. St Helens and other parts of the North West are located within the Northern Forest and will benefit from increased tree planting through this initiative. Our Trees for Schools programme and Urban Tree Challenge Fund are also helping to increase planting rates in these places. The Government remains committed to the shared public and private sector aspiration of reaching 12% woodland cover in England by 2060 and has signalled this in the Clean Growth Strategy and the 25 Year Environment Plan. To increase the rate of afforestation in England, the Government has simplified grant applications and announced additional funding of £50 million for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee to incentivise planting and carbon sequestration. Recently we announced a new Northumberland Forest, planting up to one million trees by 2024.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) affirmative and (b) negative EU Exit statutory instruments she plans to lay before Parliament in November 2019.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who is responsible for digitisation in her Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Musical Instruments: Transport

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to secure a transitional period with the EU on the application of CITES to allow musicians and others to continue to travel with their instruments which may contain materials covered by CITES regulation.

Zac Goldsmith: If we leave the EU without a deal, all Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) items that are currently freely traded between the UK and the EU, including musical instruments, will require CITES permits or an import notification. This would mean movement of CITES specimens between the UK and the EU would need to follow the same processes as those currently in place for movement between the UK and the rest of the world. We are working hard to make sure we maintain continuity and minimise disruption for those who trade and move CITES listed species, and have been working closely with the music industry on this issue. In addition to import/export permits, there are other options which may be more appropriate for musicians looking to move musical instruments. Travelling Exhibition Certificates can be issued to cover instruments that are owned by orchestras (rather than individuals). We have also been increasing awareness of CITES Musical Instrument Certificates. These can be used for non-commercial purposes, including performing, to allow musicians to travel with their own instruments across the UK border in place of CITES import/export permits. These are valid for multiple movements for three years and can be used by individual musicians travelling alone or with an ensemble. They also allow travel outside the EU. In September, we announced the addition of Dover, Eurotunnel, and Holyhead to the list of ports to be designated for CITES movement after exit. At the recent CITES Conference of the Parties, a decision was made to change annotation number 15 which relates to rosewood species, such as Dalbergia. This will exempt musical instruments made of this wood (including finished musical instrument parts and accessories) and small finished items up to 10kg. This exemption allows a person to travel to any country in the world with a musical instrument or finished product containing less than 10kg of a rosewood or a Bubinga without a CITES permit. The EU Commission are preparing legislation to implement this amendment to the CITES Appendices by amending the Annexes of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.

Air Pollution: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce air pollution in Southampton.

Rebecca Pow: On 19 March 2019, Southampton City Council was directed to implement a plan forNO2 compliance as part of the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations 2017. Under this direction, the local authority was directed to implement a number of measures to ensure compliance with the legal limit value for NO2, in the shortest possible time. These include: A taxi licensing condition to require a minimum euro 6 diesel/euro 4 petrol for newly licensed vehicles by 2023An expansion of the low emission taxi incentive for Southampton licensed taxisElectric vehicle charge pointsUltra Low Emission Vehicle taxis trials for Southampton licenced taxisA bus lane restriction for non-Southampton vehiclesA city centre euro 6 bus traffic conditionA behavioural change campaign to promote active and sustainable travelFreight consolidation centre for Heavy Goods Vehicles operators in Southampton The Government has provided funding to Southampton of over £1.4 million to support the introduction of these measures. Our officials have ongoing engagement with Southampton to monitor implementation of these measures and their impact.

Tree Planting

Michael Fabricant: What plans she has to increase the number of trees planted each year; and if she will make a statement.

Zac Goldsmith: We are on track to plant 11 million trees and a further one million trees in urban areas. We have also modified our main grant schemes, to make them more accessible. We have announced additional funding for tree planting including £10 million for urban trees; £50 million for the Woodland Carbon Guarantee; and £5.7 million to kick-start the Northern Forest and the Woodland Carbon Fund is now open until 2022. Most recently we launched the Northumberland Forest of up to one million trees to be planted by 2024.

Soil: Conservation

Mr Barry Sheerman: What plans she has to (a) evaluate and (b) tackle soil degradation.

Rebecca Pow: Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan (25 YEP) sets out our ambition to sustainably manage our soils by 2030. The 25 YEP indicator framework will measure and evaluate ‘Healthy Soils’. We are currently funding research to develop these indicators and accompanying monitoring plans. These will further inform policy for tackling soil degradation. We are already taking action to enhance and protect soil. Defra’s Farming Rules for Water protects soil through measures on erosion control and fertiliser application.

Migrant Workers: Seasonal Workers

Harriett Baldwin: What the Government's policy is on seasonal migrant workers after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: As they do now, EU citizens can continue to for work in the UK in 2019 and 2020. The Government launched the Seasonal Workers Pilot in April and all 2,500 non-EEA migrant workers have now been recruited for 2019. This pilot will continue to run in 2020 and is being evaluated for its ability to assist in alleviating labour shortages during peak production periods. This will help inform future immigration policy.

Dogs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to adopt rescue dogs rather than buy from breeders.

Zac Goldsmith: Rescue and rehoming centres carry out important work to ensure that unwanted and abandoned animals in the UK are offered the opportunity of a forever home. We advise those seeking to acquire a new dog to first consider adopting from a reputable dog rescue and rehoming centre. However, we appreciate that a number of prospective owners would like a puppy and may have a specific breed in mind. That is why in 2018 the Government updated and improved the regulations on dog breeding in England. This included introducing strict statutory welfare standards that all licensed dog breeders must meet. In addition, from 6 April 2020 it will be an offence for commercial third party sellers to sell puppies or kittens, which are defined as under the age of 6 months. These steps aim to improve the welfare of dogs.

Wildlife: Fireworks

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect wildlife from public and private firework displays.

Zac Goldsmith: The Government takes the matter of fireworks seriously. We understand the concerns that many people have about the potential for distress to be caused by fireworks to animals, including pets, livestock and wildlife. This is one of the reasons why there are existing laws in place to control firework availability and use by both the general public and professional display operators. Measures including age related restrictions, a curfew and a noise limit help to reduce disturbance to animals. It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal that is under a person’s control. The maximum penalty for such an offence is 6 months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

Nature Conservation

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed 10 per cent biodiversity net gain in new developments on the effectiveness of the nature recovery network.

Rebecca Pow: We published an impact assessment which quantifies the potential benefits of a mandatory biodiversity net gain requirement. This analysis estimates that net gain is likely to deliver several thousands of hectares of habitat creation and enhancement per year, and we anticipate this will make an important contribution to the Nature Recovery Network (NRN). Beyond the contribution of biodiversity net gain, the NRN requires clear spatial strategies to direct investment, strong partnerships to support its delivery, and a clear set of incentives and land management actions to drive improvements.

Environment Bill

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether local planning authorities have sufficient resources to implement the proposed requirements of the Environment Bill.

Rebecca Pow: The Government wants to see better planning for nature, in a way that’s more efficient as well as effective. The Environment Bill will provide greater certainty through the planning system on how to plan effectively for the local environment. We consulted local authorities during the policy making stage, and continue to be committed to working in partnership with local government on the implementation of these measures. The Government will cover any additional costs these measures place on local authorities.

Agriculture

Jane Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the Withdrawal Agreement, published on 19 October 2019 on the farming industry.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Flood Control: Worcestershire

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Environment Agency has to build flood protection schemes in Severn Stoke and Tenbury Wells.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) is continuing to work with partners and the local community to reduce the impacts of flooding in Severn Stoke. The EA is undertaking further modelling and assessments of a proposed design for a flood alleviation scheme. Given the small rural community, this project is an economically challenging scheme and the EA is working with wider professional parties to identify a suitable delivery route and viable way for the scheme to be built. Subject to planning approval and adequate funds being in place it is anticipated that work can commence on site in 2020 to ensure completion during 2021. The EA anticipate the local community will be able to submit an outline planning application this winter. Tenbury has suffered from extensive flooding on a number of occasions with direct impacts affecting homes and businesses. An economic appraisal of the feasibility design completed in 2007 estimated that delivery of a full flood defence scheme would cost around £5.5 million. However, the scheme as it stands is unlikely to attract more than £1 million of Flood Defence Grant in Aid, leaving a substantial partnership funding gap. The EA are currently updating this appraisal to re-assess the scale of defences required but do not anticipate the revised potential costs to have changed significantly, they may have potentially increased. Because of the funding deficit, the scheme will not be able to progress until significant contributions have been secured. The EA are reviewing all delivery options for the scheme, including engaging with Local Enterprise Partnerships, businesses and the local authority and continues to look at strategic options. The EA continues to actively work with local flood action groups in both locations. In the meantime property level flood resilience measures were installed to a limited number of properties between 2010 and 2012 and these were in operation last weekend.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of horses dying as a result of horse racing.

Zac Goldsmith: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to same question from the Hon. Member for Luton South on 10th June 2019 (PQ 257574). The Government’s position remains the same.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

George Eustice: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

James Duddridge: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

James Duddridge: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Brexit: Referendums

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the cost of holding a second referendum on EU withdrawal in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.

James Duddridge: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

James Duddridge: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: he Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity. Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Attorney General’s Office are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Wales Office

Wales Office: International Men's Day

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans his Department has to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2019.

Alun Cairns: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales has no specific plans to mark International Men's Day 2019, but in the UK Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill we propose to create a statutory definition of domestic abuse that makes clear men can also be victims of this abhorrent crime. International Men’s Day also offers an opportunity to talk about work across Government to highlight how outcomes for men and boys can be improved.

Wales Office: Digital Technology

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.

Kevin Foster: The Government Digital Service (GDS) leads the Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, helping departments build and run services that are digital by default and focused on the needs of citizens. GDS works with departments to set the government’s strategy for digital transformation, including the Government Transformation Strategy. Within government we have a strong focus on the concept of “digital maturity”, which encapsulates not only delivery of excellent digital services, but improving government’s processes, tools, and infrastructure, developing DDaT capability and upskilling decision makers to ensure we build on these foundations to deliver digital transformation at scale. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not provide services directly to the public and uses Ministry of Justice DDaT systems for its operations. The Deputy Director of Corporate Services is responsible for digital maturity in the Department.

Wales Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Kevin Foster: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients which is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicity Information on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. The Government also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. No staff in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales received an Honour in December 2018 or June 2019.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Domestic Abuse

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2019 to Question 1636, on Prisoners: Domestic Abuse, and with reference to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 174010, on Prisoners: Domestic Abuse, if he will make an estimate using the Offender Assessment System.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2019 to Question 1635, on Prisoners: Domestic Abuse, and with reference to the Answer of 9 October 2018 to Question 174010, on Prisoners: Domestic Abuse, for what reasons an estimate could not be made using the Offender Assessment System.

Lucy Frazer: The latest data available relates to those in custody on 30 June 2018, aged 18 and over. Information is available for individuals whose relationship status had been assessed by that date on the Offender Assessment System, which accounts for 2,678 women and 62,830 men. i) From these totals 4,258 male prisoners were identified as having ever been the victim of domestic violence. This equates to 7% of male prisoners. ii) From these totals, 22% of female prisoners were identified as having ever been the perpetrator of domestic violence. This is 597 female perpetrators. Figures for the extent of Offender Assessment System coverage exclude “layer 1” assessments, which do not include questions on domestic violence. Previous figures quoted for 2017 in the Answer of 9 October to Question 174010 included these, so percentages for 2018 are increased accordingly.

Prisoners: Suicide

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners that were recalled to prison to serve a sentence of imprisonment for public protection have taken their own life since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: I regret that it is not yet possible to answer this question, because we have recently found that some indeterminate sentences for public protection may have been wrongly recorded as determinate. This may require amendments to the published data. I will write to the Hon Member with updated figures when they are available, and ensure that the next issue of data includes corrected figures.

Prisoners' Transfers: Administrative Delays

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures are in place to (a) monitor and (b) tackle delays in transferring prisoners between prisons.

Lucy Frazer: The timing of prisoner transfers is dependent upon several factors, including the reason for the transfer, the number of spaces available in the estate and the location to which the prisoner has requested a move. Data about waiting times for transfers is not held centrally. Hundreds of transfers of prisoners take place each week without delay. Where delays in arranging transfers occur, individual establishments are responsible for monitoring these and for escalating to HMPPS headquarters any issues that cannot be resolved locally. The prison estate is being reconfigured to ensure a better match between the type of offenders we hold and the available accommodation and this will reduce delays in transferring prisoners into prisons that are best able to meet their needs.

Coroners: Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost incurred by the Legal Aid Agency was for means-testing applications for grants of exceptional funding in relation to representation at inquests before Coroners' Courts in (a) each year since 2013 (b) 2019 to date.

Wendy Morton: The means of applicants for Exceptional Case Funding are tested in accordance with the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013, which apply to all applications for civil legal aid.As such, it is not possible to ascribe a figure to the cost of assessing financial eligibility in ECF matters specifically, as this is not conducted under a separate process within the Legal Aid Agency.

Legal Aid Scheme: Immigration

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration law legal aid providers there were in each year since 2010, by procurement area.

Wendy Morton: (Please see Annex attached)



Annex
(Word Document, 30.4 KB)

Dartmoor Prison

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when staff at HMP Dartmoor were informed that the prison was due to close in 2023; and for what reasons his Department did not inform the POA union, as the recognised trade union for prison officers.

Lucy Frazer: A letter was sent from the Chief Executive of HMPPS to all staff at HMP Dartmoor on 4 September 2013, advising them that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was entering discussions with the Duchy of Cornwall to commence the process to exit the lease on HMP Dartmoor. This letter explained that this would lead to the closure of the establishment but that there was a ten-year notice period on the lease, which would give HMPPS the chance to manage the closure process over time.The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) was also informed of the announcement on 4 September 2013. The POA issued circular and press releases relating to this announcement following discussions with MoJ officials.

Prisons: Closures

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will meet with the POA union to discuss Government policy on closing Victorian prisons.

Lucy Frazer: Officials in the Ministry hold regular meetings with the Prison Officers Association, and have received correspondence from it requesting a meeting about the closure of HMP Dartmoor, to which they are responding.

Probation: Staff

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that the workload of probation officers currently employed by community rehabilitation companies in Wales will be adequately covered while they transfer to the National Probation Service.

Lucy Frazer: The current workload held by existing Probation Officers within the Wales Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) will be protected as they will continue to work with their existing caseload only at the point of transfer into the Wales National Probation Service (NPS). This will ensure that Wales CRC staff will continue to manage their existing cases until they are trained in the latest practices and protocols of working with high risk of harm and those who sexually offend. Post transition in December, staff workload will be reviewed by managers in order to monitor workloads and allocate resources accordingly. On conclusion of transition, all caseloads will be reviewed by management in line NPS workload management practices.

Prisons

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new prisons have been opened since 2010; and how many of those prisons are private facilities.

Lucy Frazer: We have opened four prisons since 2010. These are HMPs Isis, Thameside, Oakwood and Berwyn. HMPs Thameside and Oakwood are privately operated.

Criminal Proceedings

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of adjournments was per case in (a) cases relating to murder and (b) cases relating to rape in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Prison Officers: Deployment

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) hotel and (b) other expenses for prison officers on detached duty in each month since January 2018.

Lucy Frazer: Prison officers do a challenging and vital job to help protect the public and we are committed to making sure we have enough staff to deliver safe regimes in our prisons. Detached duty (DD) is one of the sensible and proportionate measures taken to ensure the safe and decent running of regimes in prisons, and respond appropriately to any operational issues that arise. The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing and the number of prison officers deployed will reflect operational circumstances. When there is a need to accommodate staff in hotels, we work hard to ensure the best possible value for money for the taxpayer and have controls in place to help keep costs to a minimum. Where possible, bookings are for specifically timed trains and always in standard class to help keep costs to a minimum. The Government is investing £2.75bn to modernise and maintain our prisons, create 10,000 additional places, and step up security to stop the flow of drugs and mobile phones. Please find below a breakdown of travel costs by method: MonthHotelsRailAirFerryJan-18£290,178.64£23,567.00£200.51£0.00Feb-18£236,621.21£23,663.40£951.68£0.00Mar-18£209,026.30£24,500.85£2,483.74£0.00Apr-18£225,754.14£16,023.25£493.56£91.00May-18£233,236.50£18,785.35£233.62£1,616.50Jun-18£209,336.12£17,609.60£0.00£1,135.75Jul-18£199,038.25£20,042.95£0.00£1,014.20Aug-18£211,642.81£20,200.10£0.00£466.15Sep-18£223,603.44£16,640.20£0.00£103.00Oct-18£250,363.26£24,802.25£0.00£0.00Nov-18£159,252.49£18,911.20£0.00£0.00Dec-18£157,993.00£10,066.10£0.00£53.50Jan-19£216,479.21£16,850.50£0.00£51.50Feb-19£187,018.49£14,296.45£0.00£0.00Mar-19£225,574.25£18,534.50£0.00£218.50Apr-19£202,070.93£14,641.10£0.00£319.75May-19£230,760.74£17,950.95£0.00£229.25Jun-19£218,309.41£16,018.05£483.30£158.50Jul-19£182,603.48£17,248.80-£483.30£0.00Aug-19£156,795.30£16,970.75£0.00£0.00Sep-19£146,658.25£18,526.70£0.00£239.00Oct-19£120,290.85£16,812.90£0.00£305.25 The amount spent on other expenses claims for Prison Officers as outlined in the Travel and Subsistence policy (day and night subsistence, lodging allowance, etc): Month Jan-18£643.24Feb-18£758.37Mar-18£2097.74Apr-18£488.49May-18£1436.75Jun-18£142.27Jul-18£76.84Aug-18£77.80Nov-18£1657Feb-19£240Mar-19£672Apr-19£592May-19£80

National Tactical Response Group

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the National Tactical Response Group has been called to each prison in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) has been called to each prison in each year since 2010 is provided in the attached document. The NTRG provides additional support staff or resources to prisons to help them deal with a variety of incidents. The overwhelming majority of call outs are for non-violent incidents, including where they attended as a precaution and when the situation was resolved locally. We do not tolerate violence or disruptive behaviour in our prisons. We’ve recruited around 4,300 additional officers since October 2016 and are spending an extra £100 million on airport-style security, x-ray scanners and phone-blocking technology. This is part of the Government’s new £2.75bn investment to modernise and maintain our prisons, create 10,000 additional places, and step up security to stop the flow of drugs and mobile phones. We are also committed to ensuring our prison officers have the tools they need to do the job safely with body worn cameras, ‘police-style’ handcuffs and restraints, and PAVA incapacitant spray.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.29 KB)

Courts: Judges

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days (a) courts and (b) judges sat in England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2018 and (iii) are estimated to sit in 2019.

Chris Philp: Data on court sitting days is not routinely collected. Judge sitting days is the closest proxy we have to court sitting days for most jurisdictions. The official statistics for judge sitting days (tables 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of the Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, January to March 2019) were withdrawn on 5 September 2019, due to data discrepancies that were discovered after publication on 6 June 2019 and deemed potentially misleading to users. The data under investigation covers the period 2003 to 2018 and advise not using the earlier editions of these figures.These discrepancies remain under investigation and, in line with the Code of Practice on Statistics, the Chief Statistician and Head of Profession decided to withdraw these tables until the investigations were complete as is normal practice. The revised figures will be published in due course, and will provide the total sitting days in Family, Civil and Crown courts.Given that we are most of the way through 2019, to provide a forecast for 2019 would pre-empt the publication of Official Statistics. The actual judge sitting days for 2019 will be published in summer 2020 as is usual practice.

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the financial deductions levied against companies with which his Department has contracts valued at over £10 million over the life of the contract.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice holds the following information on the contract records and not within a central database, concerning Financial Remedies imposed against a supplier on Contracts valued £10 million or more for failure to meet their key performance targets or level of service required;- The date the financial remedy was imposed;- The value of the financial remedy;- The reason the financial remedy was imposed. Private providers play an important role in the Ministry of Justice. We continue to closely monitor the performance of all providers and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short

Ministry of Justice: Agency Workers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent with each company providing agency staff in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: We can confirm that the below table shows the spend across the department with companies providing agency staff. Financial yearAgenciesCAPITAHAYSBROOK STREETALEXANDER MANN SERVICESSERVOCASKYBLUEBLUE ARROWBADENOCH & CLARKETWENTYSIX 2011/2012£ 15,722,346.03£ 10,753,952.00£ 12,237,418.63£ -£ -£ -£ 213,320.46£ -£ - 2012/2013£ 21,499,236.69£ 16,110,202.00£ 29,663,430.76£ -£ -£ -£ 396,058.57£ -£ - 2013/2014£ 2,217,588.93£ 19,013,681.00£ 30,996,698.33£ -£ -£ -£ 749,020.01£ -£ 15,909.98 2014/2015£ 36,607,966.38£ 27,064,429.00£ 38,364,083.55£ -£ -£ -£ 1,035,284.70£ -£ 109,765.20 2015/2016£ 49,904,326.58£ 14,982,843.00£ 45,143,872.50£ -£ -£ -£ 1,254,511.49£ -£ 107,134.64 2016/2017£ 44,811,850.00£ 9,646,682.00£ 51,529,354.19£ -£ 329.52£ -£ 737,934.09£ -£ 95,121.73 2017/2018£ -£ 20,841,403.46£ 70,709,241.32£ -£ 13,873.56£ -£ 836,250.54£ -£ 140,256.08 2018/2019£ 1,850.00£ 23,419,385.34£ 73,835,255.29£ 33,261,710.45£ 7,993,500.22£ 2,101,058.37£ 780,627.35£ -£ 386,399.68 2019/2020 to£ 626,953.32£ 9,049,561.89£ 37,640,648.56£ 23,853,921.85£ 4,366,995.31£ -£ 389,758.54£ 1,074,400.49£ 262,466.54

Ministry of Justice: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Ministry of Justice are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Cabinet Office

Foreign Relations

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has requested any (a) Ministers and (b) officials to investigate potential contacts between UK parliamentarians and foreign Governments.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 October 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Government is fully committed to tightening up legislation so that foreign money cannot find its way into political campaigning and to tackle foreign lobbying. As such, Ministers and officials have been directed to consider the issue for consultation, which will be published in due course.The public have a right to know who is funding campaigning and legislation in the context of Brexit.Ministers believe this to be particularly pertinent in light of public concerns raised about the funding of campaigning and legislation against Brexit.I further refer the Hon. Member to a letter sent by the Cabinet Secretary to the Rt. Hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Dominic Grieve); a copy of this letter will be deposited in the library of both Houses.I also refer him to the answer to the Hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Bob Seely), of 1 November 2019, Official Report, PQ 4350, on the assessment being undertaken of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on foreign agents’ registration.

Chloe Smith: The Government is fully committed to tightening up legislation so that foreign money cannot find its way into political campaigning and to tackle foreign lobbying. As such, Ministers and officials have been directed to consider the issue for consultation, which will be published in due course.The public have a right to know who is funding campaigning and legislation in the context of Brexit.Ministers believe this to be particularly pertinent in light of public concerns raised about the funding of campaigning and legislation against Brexit.I further refer the Hon. Member to a letter sent by the Cabinet Secretary to the Rt. Hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Dominic Grieve); a copy of this letter will be deposited in the library of both Houses.I also refer him to the answer to the Hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Bob Seely), of 1 November 2019, Official Report, PQ 4350, on the assessment being undertaken of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on foreign agents’ registration.

Infected Blood Inquiry

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Minister responsible for the Infected Blood inquiry has had with (a) people and (b) organisations representing people infected or affected by the scandal; and when those meetings took place.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings are planned for the Infected Blood Inquiry with (a) people infected or affected and (b) organisations representing people who have been infected or affected by contaminated blood.

Oliver Dowden: I am the responsible Minister for the Infected Blood Inquiry. Following correspondence from the Prime Minister I have written to victims and organisations representing those infected and affected offering to meet with them.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Luke Graham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his (a) Department and (b) the Electoral Commission has made an estimate of the cost of holding a referendum on Scottish independence in 2020.

Chloe Smith: Scotland had an independence referendum in 2014. It was legal, fair and decisive and people in Scotland voted by a significant margin to remain part of the UK. The UK Government is committed to upholding and respecting the result of the 2014 referendum. The Scottish Government has stated that the cost of running the 2014 referendum was £15.8 million.

General Elections: EU Nationals

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Electoral Commission has made an estimate of (i) the number of EU nationals over the age of 18 living in the UK in each constituency and (ii) the cost of enabling them to vote in a General Election.

Chloe Smith: Figures on the number of individual electors and their characteristics are not held centrally. Such data are held by individual Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).In line with its statutory duty, the Electoral Commission have published a report into the administration of the European Parliamentary Election earlier this year. As part of this publication, the Electoral Commission included figures on the number of citizens of other EU Member States on the electoral registers as of 23 May 2019.The report is available here; the relevant section is entitled "Impact on EU citizens: How many EU citizens were included in the register":https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/european-parliamentary-elections/inquiry-report-voting-registration-process-eu-citizens-resident-uk-2019-european-parliamentaryData on EU nationals by Local Authority are available here:https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/EPE2019-%20Electoral%20Data-Website.xlsxEU citizens cannot vote in Parliamentary general elections. Citizenship restrictions are the norm for participation in national elections in the EU. There is no requirement in EU law to permit non-national EU citizens to vote in national elections and, so far as we are aware, no other EU Member State (other than Ireland) does so.

Mental Health: Young People

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to develop a cross-departmental approach to promoting young people’s mental health; what assessment he has made of cross-departmental responsibilities for promoting young people’s mental health; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Dowden: Protecting our children’s mental health is a priority for this Government, and a core part of the NHS Long Term Plan. The Government made available £1.4 billion to improve specialist children and young people’s mental health services between 2015-21.The Government’s Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health recognises this is a cross-cutting issue which impacts on the work of multiple departments and arms-length bodies. It aims to improve the provision of mental health support so that children and young get the best possible start in life.The proposals in the Green Paper have the potential to significantly improve early intervention and prevention by expanding the current children and young people’s mental health workforce and bolstering the capacity of schools and NHS services.Given that the emotional and social development of children is a broad and complicated issue, the responsibility for the area sits across multiple departments including the Department for Health and Social Care, The Department for Education, the Department of Work and Pensions, and the Department for Housing Communities and Local Government.

Cabinet Office: Honours

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff in his Department in receipt of each category of Honour in (a) December 2018 and (b) June 2019 were (i) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (ii) female aged (A) under 30, (B) 31 to 40, (C) 41 to 50 and (D) aged over 50.

Oliver Dowden: The Government is committed to ensuring that the honours system is fully representative of UK society. The proportion of women and people from ethnic minorities receiving recognition on each honours list is available on GOV.UK as is a breakdown of ethnicities of recipients is published on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/honours-recipients-by-ethnicityInformation on ages is not correlated with other diversity factors. We also publish the proportion of honours by independent committee on GOV.UK. The numbers of honours recipients in the Cabinet Office are very small and vary from year to year. Releasing the requested data would identify the individuals and they have given permission for their data to be used for statistical purposes only.

Brexit: Publicity

Christian Matheson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2019 to Question 6416 on Brexit: Publicity, in which cities in those EU 27 countries the Get Ready for Brexit campaign took place.

Chloe Smith: Further to the answer of 31 October to PQ6416, there is no list of cities in the EU27 countries held by this department.